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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23259127">The Lucky Merman</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCraftyNinjaCat/pseuds/TheCraftyNinjaCat'>TheCraftyNinjaCat</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>RWBY</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Merman!Clover, Mind Control, also there's a subplot about the schnees, but he's not clover's dad i swear, ironwood's kind of a dick?? he's triton, like the show lmao, not a lot of it though, pretty much the little mermaid but gayer, shippy stuff starts happening in ch 3, tyrian is ursula, yes it's not a coincidence, yes that means he's gonna get stabbed at the end</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 06:02:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>39,708</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23259127</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCraftyNinjaCat/pseuds/TheCraftyNinjaCat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Beloved by everyone and leader of King Ironwood’s prestigious Ace-Ops, Clover seems to be the luckiest merman in the ocean. His only secret; his unwavering interest in the human world, the bane of the king’s existence. At least he's good at keeping it a secret, and his friend Robyn is always down to help him indulge. He has nothing to worry about.</p><p>Then he rescues human prince Qrow Branwen from a sinking ship, and things get much more complicated.</p><p>(The Little Mermaid AU)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Minor or Background Relationship(s), Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>253</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>165</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Mysterious Fathoms Below</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey folks! This is my first fic on Ao3, and first fic I've written in...literal years. Anyway, hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Uncle Qrow, what do you know about the merpeople?”</p><p>Qrow looked up at his niece, straightening his back against the barrels he was leaning against.</p><p>“Not much, kiddo. I mean, I haven’t exactly heard good things.”</p><p>“Yeah, they’re horrible!” Qrow’s other niece interrupted, sliding down the mast of the ship to land on the deck below, “Apparently they sing songs to lure you in, before grabbing you and pulling you into the ocean. Then, once you’ve drowned, they expose their RAZOR SHARP teeth and-“</p><p>“Yang, you’re just saying that to scare Ruby.” Blake said, closing her book and rolling her eyes fondly.</p><p>“Pfff, oh please! Nothing scares my little sis’.” Yang proclaimed, grinning and pointing a thumb towards her sister. Sure enough, Ruby seemed more excited than spooked.</p><p>“Oh, it’s so COOL! Do you ever think about what would happen if merpeople actually existed?” Ruby squealed, sitting down next to Qrow. He shrugged, turning his gaze towards the rippling waves.</p><p>“Ruby, that’s ridiculous.” Weiss scoffed, not taking her attention away from the intricately weaved rigging, “There are better things to think about than a silly superstition about mermaids.”</p><p>“And mermen!” Yang interjected again.</p><p>“Come on, Weiss!” Ruby exclaimed, wrapping a hand around her uncle, “Imagine it, a HUGE kingdom of fish-people that’s ruled by the legendary King Ironwood. A whole different world sitting underneath us, waiting to be discovered. Don’t you ever wonder if something like that is real?"</p><p>Qrow chuckled, letting a soft smile take over his face. He turned back to Ruby and ruffled her hair.</p><p>“Hey, people can dream, can’t they?”</p><p>Fortune wasn’t on Qrow’s side that day. If he had kept his eyes on the sea, he might have seen the iridescent tail of an unknown creature rise out of the water before diving back below the surface.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Greatest Kingdom</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ironwood gets annoyed, and Clover gets chased by a pissed off shark.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hell yeah, the fic is officially underway! All the chapters from now on will be from 1,000-3,000 words long.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A mysterious land lost in history, the magnificent Atlantic kingdom sat under the bottomless blue. In the centre of the bustling streets and merfolk suburbs, a glistening silver palace floated above the ocean bed like a watchful guardian. Inside the palace, a stunning main hall with a golden throne hovered over everything. </p>
<p>And sitting on that throne was a very regal, very TIRED king.</p>
<p>James Ironwood looked down from his throne, eyeing the soldiers in front of him. That morning, his Ace Operatives had been sent on a mission to keep the kingdom from an invasion of rampant sea creatures. Five of them had left, but four had come back for the mandatory meeting.</p>
<p>“Would one of you care to tell me where Clover is?” Ironwood sighed, gripping his staff harder. Its gold sheen reflected onto the right side of his torso, silvery metal prosthetics catching the light.</p>
<p>“He caught sight of Robyn Hill and attempted to bring her into custody. He told us to go back without him.” Harriet replied, squaring her shoulders. Ironwood groaned, disappointed but not surprised.</p>
<p>“Considering the amount of times he’s left to pursue her, it’s a mystery why he always comes back empty handed.” Vine off-handedly added.</p>
<p>“Come on, Vine!” Marrow whined, fidgeting with his dorsal fin, “He’s just doing his job. I mean, what else could be doing?” </p>
<p>“He’ll be back in time for the meeting.” Elm added, giving Ironwood a nervous flash of teeth.</p>
<p>Winter, Ironwood’s right-hand woman, steeled her gaze, making the Ace-Ops shrunk back in fear. The king rubbed his temple with his free hand, closing his eyes to quell his frustration. </p>
<p>The leader of the Ace Ops had a fun habit of getting distracted during missions. It seemed that every time the Ace Ops were sent to arrest a rogue merman, or defend the kingdom’s borders from sea creatures, he would somehow spot the fugitive Robyn Hill or one of her Merry Mermaids and attempt to pursue them. Whether or not any of the other Ace Ops saw them too, Clover would always swim away before they could protest.</p>
<p>“This is the third meeting he’s missed this week.” He muttered, ignoring Elm, “How many times can one mermaid escape?”</p>
<p>“Your Majesty, with all due respect, Clover is one of our best.” Winter articulated, “Wherever he is, I’m sure he’s handling himself just fine.”</p>
<p>———</p>
<p>“SWIM!!”</p>
<p>Clover and Robyn darted through the wooden wreckage, frantically trying to get away from the shark chasing them. Robyn knew that exploring a sunken ship wasn’t a good idea, but Clover had insisted, and now they were both going to die. </p>
<p>Well, that’s what Robyn kept insisting as they made their escape. Very reassuring to hear.</p>
<p>“Calm down, we’re going to get out of here!” Clover yelled, bubbles rippling from the thrashing of his emerald green tail.</p>
<p>“Speak for yourself, you got us into this mess.” Robyn huffed, barely dodging a decaying wall.</p>
<p>“Just trust me!” </p>
<p>The two merpeople finally made it out of the sunken ship, closely pursued by the shark. They rapidly manoeuvred through rocks and corals, but they slowly started to lose energy. The shark was relentless, continuing after them with no hint of fatigue. </p>
<p>“If you’re thinking of doing something stupid, you better do it now!” Robyn cried.</p>
<p>Clover bolted ahead of Robyn, heading towards a rusty anchor sticking out of the sea floor. He swam through the suspiciously large ring at the top and turned back to Robyn.</p>
<p>“Through here!” he called out. </p>
<p>Robyn straightened her back as much as she could before using the last of her energy to shoot through the ring. The shark followed, but through some stroke of luck ended up getting stuck. Clover finally let out a sigh of relief, collapsing against the rocks below while Robyn tried to catch her breath.</p>
<p>“Not so tough now, huh?” Robyn grunted smugly, whacking the shark in the face with her crimson tail. It snapped at her, but Clover managed to pull her away before she lost a flipper.</p>
<p>“Okay, Robyn. Let’s go get Penny so we can find out what all this stuff is.”</p>
<p>The two burst through the surface of the ocean, droplets of water flying around them as they emerged. As they scanned the horizon they caught sight of a ginger girl sitting in a small wooden rowboat. One glance at the cute black bow in her hair made sure that it was Penny.</p>
<p>A whistle alerted the girl of their presence, and she whipped around as they swam towards her.</p>
<p>“Salutations, friends!” Penny greeted cheerfully, saluting the two, “I was out on my afternoon row. Do you have more items for me to identify?”</p>
<p>Neither of them decided to question why she was rowing in the middle of the ocean, with the nearest land only a speck in the distance. Hey, at least she was easy to find when they needed her.</p>
<p>“You bet we do.” Robyn said as Clover emptied his bag into the boat, “We ransacked a sunken ship and almost got killed, but at least we got some dumb human stuff.”</p>
<p>“If you really thought it was dumb, you wouldn’t have helped me.” Clover countered, smiling. Robyn snorted, shoving Clover’s shoulder.</p>
<p>Several bits and pieces fell out of the bag and Penny studied them carefully. A certain green item that fell out caught her eye immediately.</p>
<p>“Oh, this is sensational!” Penny cried, picking it up to analyse it further, “This is a ‘pin’. I believe this would be perfect for you to wear. The symbol below the horseshoe is called a ‘four-leaf clover’.”</p>
<p>“Clover, huh?” he murmured as Penny handed it to him, “Isn’t that a fun coincidence.”</p>
<p>“Most definitely. It’s also very fortunate that it hasn’t rusted after being underwater for so long. To wear it, you unlatch the clip on the back and attach it to your clothes.”</p>
<p>The two merpeople shared a knowing glance. Penny didn’t seem to notice that neither of them wore anything that would be appropriate for something to be pinned on.</p>
<p>“I think I’ll just add it to my collection. Thank you, Penny.”</p>
<p>“You’re welcome. Ooh!” Penny pushed aside a broken corkscrew and a waterlogged camera before picking up another item.</p>
<p>“A fork! Tell me, is this what King Ironwood’s trident looks like? Or does it have three prongs instead of four?”</p>
<p>The merman suddenly remembered where he was supposed to be, and dread hit him like a bull shark. </p>
<p>“The meeting. I’m so sorry Penny, I have to go.” he gasped, shoving his collection back into his bag. Robyn grabbed the fork from Penny's hand and shoved it alongside the rest of the pieces.</p>
<p>“It’s a staff, not a trident.” Robyn quickly said, ”The whole ‘trident’ thing was actually made up by humans ages ago-” Clover grabbed his friend again and pulled her under the surface.</p>
<p>“Thank you, Ms Hill!” Penny called as they paddled away, “Tell Winter I said hello!”</p>
<p>As the duo ducked back under the waves and swam back towards the kingdom, they failed to notice what was lurking in the shadows. Two sea scorpions spied on the duo, projecting the image to someone miles away from them.</p>
<p>Tyrian, the sea sorcerer, giggled gleefully as he observed the scene though a bubble.</p>
<p>“Well, well, well. It seems these two could be useful, don’t you think?” Tyrian drawled, the words dancing on his tongue, “A fun coincidence, indeed. I need a way to take down Ironwood, and you two might have just given me one.”</p>
<p>The sorcerer picked a wriggling shrimp out of a clamshell he kept for snacks, crunching on its head until it stopped moving. Like an amused movie-goer at a cinema, he watched as Clover and Robyn eventually branched off from each other. The mermaid swam back to her team and girlfriend, while the merman dashed towards the Atlantic kingdom. </p>
<p>He especially kept a close eye on Clover as he entered the gates of the underwater palace, only to be greeted by Ironwood’s disapproving grimace. The two clearly started to bicker, and Tyrian couldn’t help feeling disappointed no weapons were involved in their confrontation.</p>
<p>“Oh, isn’t it lovely. How desperate he is to keep the peace. He doesn’t realise that the more he tries to make those who trust him fall in line, the more easily I can use them against him.”</p>
<p>How he wished he could hear the argument they were having. To hear Ironwood’s disappointment with his prized lackey would be delightful. If it were anyone else, the king would have fired him by now. Somehow this merman was different. This merman was his friend.</p>
<p>“I’ll have to keep an eye on you, little bird.” Tyrian murmured, raking a finger over Clover’s projection, “You may give me the key to Atlantis’ downfall.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks to everyone who has commented and left kudos so far! Every bit of support counts.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Part of That World</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ironwood scolds Clover for the twentieth time, and Winter is dragged into the resulting mess.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Feel like I should say it now; there's not going to be any singing in this fic. Sorry. Hopefully I did the scene justice without the song.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>At this point, King Ironwood had given so many lectures to Clover they were becoming routine. Clover would usually handle them all the same way; make up a story, explain how Robyn ‘barely got away’, and profusely apologise. </p>
<p>This time, however, he was feeling a little bit confrontational.</p>
<p>Big mistake.</p>
<p>“You are the leader of the Ace-Ops for a reason, Clover.” Ironwood griped, “You have to set an example for the others.”</p>
<p>“James, we haven’t been under threat for months. There’s no harm in letting our defenses down a little bit.” Clover reasoned, raising his hands.</p>
<p>“What if we let our defenses down for one day and we get attacked? What if Callows decides to return, and he somehow brings back <em>Salem?</em> We can't have a repeat of the Battle of Grimm.”</p>
<p>“And that'll never happen. But the constant patrols are worrying some of the citizens. When the people are scared, they’ll turn to anyone who will give them hope. It’s no wonder why the Merry Mermaids have become such a symbol of hope, when they're the only ones who actually listen to them.” </p>
<p>Even though Clover was using the kingdom’s issues to deflect the truth, a small part of him did actually agree with what he was saying. Of course he would never say it out loud, but the thought was there.</p>
<p>“Speaking of the Merry Mermaids, Robyn still hasn’t been brought into custody yet. That mermaid is really trying our patience.” Winter said, cut into the conversation.</p>
<p>“To be fair, Robyn isn’t doing any harm. Other than occasional protests, I don’t see a reason why we have to bring her in.” Clover said.</p>
<p>“Then where have you been?” Ironwood asked, “If not trying to arrest her, what have you been doing with the precious time you’ve had?”</p>
<p>Shit. Clover’s eyes darted over to Winter, who’s gaze remained unwavering. He carefully sucked a breath in through his teeth. Maybe...Ironwood could handle the truth.</p>
<p>“I’ve been collecting and analysing human items in order to learn about their properties and functions.” Clover slowly admitted, intentionally leaving Robyn out.</p>
<p><em>"What? How?”</em> Ironwood choked. </p>
<p>“It’s always shipwrecked or abandoned items, but I’ve also been...spying on a human that occasionally identifies the objects for me.” </p>
<p>“You’ve been going up to the surface again.” Ironwood’s expression grew dark, his staff lighting up in rage, “ Do you even realise how serious this is?!”</p>
<p>...okay, <em>huge mistake.</em></p>
<p>“Ebi, does this human know about our existence?” Winter questioned, eyes narrowing.</p>
<p>“No, I swear!” Clover cried, lying through his teeth, “And even if they did, would it even be that bad?”</p>
<p>“Yes. It would.” Ironwood growled. Clover flinched, but opted to keep his mouth shut.</p>
<p>“Listen to me. Ironwood demanded. “I never want to hear about you going to the surface again. Which is why from now on, I’m no longer assigning you solo missions. I’ve also instructed your teammates to not let you out of their sights on group missions.”</p>
<p>“What?” Clover blurted out.</p>
<p>“You have to trust me, Clover. Those barbarians could have killed you! Or worse, you could have exposed the entire kingdom to the human world. You know how important secrets can be.”</p>
<p>“And you know I don’t need my teammates to babysit me. I’m their leader, James. If you would-”</p>
<p>“You can’t endanger your people and world so you can fuel your stupid hobby. Don’t make me regret giving you so much freedom. I would expect more from someone like you. ”</p>
<p>The brief silence that followed was nothing short of suffocating. Neither of the mermen could look at each other, but neither of them wanted to say anything. This wasn’t the first time they had this conversation, but it was the first time it had ended so uncomfortably. </p>
<p>“Do you understand me?” Ironwood asked, tension still thick in the air.</p>
<p>“…Yes, sir.” Clover muttered, his eyes on the floor.</p>
<p>“Good. You’re dismissed.”</p>
<p>Clover swam away, leaving a trail of bubbles behind him.  </p>
<p>Stupid, stupid, <em>stupid.</em> What was he thinking? He should have just lied, spun another story about Robyn's exciting, narrow escape, and maybe he wouldn’t be in this mess. But how long would he have been able to keep the charade up anyway? Eventually the king would have realised he was just telling the same tale over and over again.</p>
<p>When no one else was in sight, Clover brought his fingers to his lips and let out a sharp whistle.</p>
<p>“Robyn? The meeting's over.” Clover called out, scanning the tall seaweed groves. </p>
<p>A second passed. Then, poking her head out from her usual hiding spot, Robyn saw Clover and swam up to him.</p>
<p>“So, how did it go? What adventures did the dashing fugitive Robyn Hill get up to today?” Robyn winked, referring to the stories Clover would tell Ironwood.</p>
<p>“I don’t think there will be any more stories for a while.” Clover laughed miserably as she passed him his bag of human belongings, “...I told James.”</p>
<p>Robyn’s eyes grew wide with apprehension, “Seriously? What did he say?” Clover shook his head.</p>
<p>“Not here.” he murmured, putting a finger to his lips, “Let’s go to the cave.”</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>Past small reefs and groves of seaweed, Clover and the Merry Mermaids shared another secret. Namely, a large underwater cave, containing Clover's full collection of human items. The cavern was home to countless strange objects, most of which would be unidentifiable to the normal merperson. Sharp, shiny, pointy, round…all of which were carefully placed on the conveniently formed ridges in the walls. </p>
<p>In the centre of it all, Clover fiddled with a shiny green pin, lost in his thoughts, as Robyn tried to process the story Clover had just told her.</p>
<p>“Sounds like Jimmy has a long stick shoved up his tail.” Robyn retorted, swimming around him.</p>
<p>“Yeah.” he murmured, placing the pin on a nearby shelf, “James...I don’t think he’ll ever see humans the way I do.”</p>
<p>“Ohhhh, the shrimp suddenly has his own opinions!” Robyn lip twitched upwards, “And here I thought you <em>trusted James with your life."</em></p>
<p>“Of course I do. But how could he believe humans are so dangerous if they make so many amazing things?” Clover said, gesturing towards all of the other items in the cavern.</p>
<p>“No clue, but I’m not gonna find out anytime soon.”</p>
<p>Clover turned his gaze upwards, looking at the night sky through a large hole in the ceiling.</p>
<p>“If I visited the surface, I could find out for myself.”</p>
<p>Robyn groaned, shooting him down as quickly as possible, “No. NO. We’ve talked about this. He would never let you go up there. Fuck, he could fire you for suggesting the idea.”</p>
<p>When Clover didn’t answer, Robyn sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder. </p>
<p>“Shrimp, you have to face the truth. As much as I hate Jimmy, he could be right. And then what, if you do find out the hard way? If the humans knew you were a merman, and Ironwood turned out to be right about them, you’d be eaten alive.”</p>
<p>“...he can’t be right. I refuse to believe it.” the merman shrugged Robyn off, “And even so, it’s a risk I’m willing to take.”</p>
<p>Clover exhaled, swimming up to the roof of the cavern. He reached a hand upwards, as if he was trying to grasp the sky and pull it towards himself. So out of reach. So far away.</p>
<p>“I just…want to see that world. To be <em>a part of it."</em></p>
<p>The five-second silence that followed was immediately interrupted by a large clattering noise. Both Clover and Robyn whipped around to see Winter, who had knocked a large amount of his collection off of their shelves and onto the sea floor in shock. </p>
<p>They hadn’t even noticed that they had been followed.</p>
<p>“Winter?!” Clover exclaimed, swimming down to face his unwelcome guest.</p>
<p>“What is the meaning of this?!” she hissed, swimming towards the pair, “This is extremely unprofessional. If King Ironwood found out about this he would-”</p>
<p>“Oh, you are not telling that bastard about this.” Robyn shot, eyes abruptly growing dark.</p>
<p>“And you should be in custody.” Winter pulled her sword off of her belt and raised it to Robyn’s face, “Robyn Hill, by authority of his Majesty the king you are to-”</p>
<p>“Winter, there’s no need to fight.” Clover said, swimming in between the two mermaids, “If you’ll just listen to me-”</p>
<p>“Fine. You can start by giving me one reason why I shouldn’t arrest you both right here and now.” Winter’s steel gaze pierced through Clover as she redirected her sword to aim at his chest.</p>
<p>Oh, he had a reason. It was a dirty trick and he wasn’t proud of it, but it was the best way to make sure no one got hurt.</p>
<p>Clover hesitated for a second before adding, “We know about your friendship with Penny.” </p>
<p>Penny had offhandedly mentioned her friendship with Winter during one of their rendezvous, and as a result they had learnt some interesting stories about the cold-hearted mermaid. As much as Clover and Robyn wanted to form an alliance with Winter over their shared interest in humans, they decided to keep it between themselves for the time being, in case they needed blackmail.</p>
<p>One thing was for sure; it was worth it. This might have been the first time Clover had seen the mermaid visibly start to panic.</p>
<p>“Wh-I would never interact with a human.” Winter spluttered, eyes darting between the two merpeople.</p>
<p>“Funny.” Robyn raised an eyebrow, “How did you know Penny was a human?” Winter’s face turned the colour of her tail at the accusation.</p>
<p>“We’re not here to point fingers.” Clover swam up to her with his arms up, “Now that we know we aren’t alone we just want to assure you you’re not either.”</p>
<p>“Hypocrite.“ Robyn added.</p>
<p>For the first time in a while, Winter was speechless. It was her duty to arrest Robyn. She had to. But if she did, would she ever see Penny again? The king would be reasonable enough to hear Clover out after she brought him in, which meant he would be available to reveal her secret to him. Or worse, he or Robyn could escape and tell Penny how she betrayed them. </p>
<p>No, that wasn’t important. Her personal feelings didn’t matter. </p>
<p>Right?</p>
<p>…<br/>
Penny would disagree.</p>
<p>She let out a defeated sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. </p>
<p>“Alright.” She muttered, sliding her sword back into its scabbard, “But we will never mention this again.”</p>
<p>Clover sighed in relief, giving Winter a reassuring smile. He opened his mouth to say something, before he was distracted by a shadow passing over the hole in the cavern’s roof. What was it? Before either of the mermaids realised, he swam towards the surface. Through the roof and through the surface. </p>
<p>He was greeted by explosions of light, song and a large ship full of partying humans. </p>
<p>He had never seen one this close before. It was so close, he could almost touch it. Mesmerised by the sight, he chased after it as it sailed off.</p>
<p>“Ebi?” Winter asked, poking her head through the waves, “Where are you-oh no. Ebi, return here this instant!”</p>
<p>Robyn’s head popped up beside Winter’s. She caught the sight of Clover’s emerald tail and groaned, opting to swim after the merman, Winter cries drowned out by the waves.</p>
<p>Grabbing onto the side of the ship, Clover managed to pull himself up until he got a good view of the deck, sitting on a ledge jutting out the side. He peered through the window, catching sight of countless humans. Many women, some men, all jolly and dancing like there was no tomorrow. </p>
<p>Completely invested, he observed the unfolding scene. A black-haired girl was waltzing with an energetic blonde, laughing joyfully as they spun around. He could recognise Penny, giggling as one of her friends stuffed assorted baked treats into her mouth. Another girl, one he recognised as Weiss Schnee, sang along to the music and flinched whenever a firework went off.</p>
<p>There was even another creature, sniffing around the deck. Penny had called it a ‘dog’ once. Clover didn’t realise it was following his scent until it was pretty much in front of him. </p>
<p>He stifled a gasp, hiding from the dog’s line of sight. Much to his dismay, when he glanced back to check the dog was still there. It licked the sea water off of his face before it was called away by a raspy voice.</p>
<p>“Hey, Zwei! Be careful out there. It’s dangerous.” The dog barked, scampered towards the sound and launched itself into the arms of the human. </p>
<p>Clover looked up at the human petting the dog, and his whole world came to a screeching halt.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>the fair game stuff is going to start in the next chapter I promise don't kill me I swear</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Rescue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Clover sees Qrow for the first time, and the Fair Game content FINALLY starts.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>OKAY, we're finally at the good stuff. Here's what all you folks came here for!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>...wow.</p><p>That human…he had never seen someone like him before. His ash-black hair has streaks of stress-induced grey, which framed his sparkling scarlet eyes. The top two buttons of the white shirt underneath his jacket were open, exposing the curve of his collarbones. A maroon cape trailed past his shoulders, and it billowed around him with his every movement. <em>Wow,</em> was he beautiful.</p><p>The rest of the world seemed to be melting away, and the thundering explosions of the fireworks dulled down to distant booms. All he could hear was his heartbeat, thumping louder and faster with every second. </p><p>
  <em>What was this feeling?</em>
</p><p>Robyn shot out of the water and plopped onto the ledge next to Clover entirely unnoticed. </p><p>“So, what are we looking at?” Robyn asked, shoving Clover forward so she could get a better view. Clover shushed her out of instinct before his attention was drawn back to the scene before him. She tracked his gaping straight to the source, and held back a snicker.</p><p>“Really?” Robyn scoffed, “Mr 5 o’clock Shadow over there?”</p><p>“I've never seen a human so close before.” Clover whispered breathlessly, "He's so handsome."</p><p>“Oh...he’s pretty alright. For a guy.”</p><p>Clover dreamily stared at the man while Robyn watched the excited partygoers. Eventually the crowd calmed down when a snowy haired man made his way towards the front, holding a package wrapped in cloth.</p><p>“Welcome everyone, it’s truly a pleasure to have you all here. As you know, we are here to celebrate the birthday of our prince Qrow Branwen.” Applause filled the ship, and shrill cheers rang out like bells. The prince in question gave the crowd a sheepish smile, waving awkwardly.</p><p><em>Qrow,</em> Clover thought, holding his breath, <em>His name is Qrow.<em></em></em></p><p>
  <em>
    <em></em>
  </em>
</p><p>“I’m pleased and honoured to be the one to present him with a very fancy, very expensive present.” the announcer proclaimed slyly, handing the package to the embarrassed prince. </p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Qrow carefully ripped the fabric away, revealing a beautiful, perfectly manicured sword. The audience gushed and fawned as he held it by the hilt, examining the craftsmanship.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>“Oz...this is really something.” Qrow murmured.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>“It’s called <em>Harbinger</em>. I commissioned it myself.” the announcer, Ozpin, remarked, “I was hoping it would be a wedding present, but beggars can’t be choosers.”</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Qrow let out a strained chuckle, walking to the edge of the boat.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>“Come on. Are you still mad about me not falling for the princess of Vacuo?” Qrow drawled, bringing himself to casually sit on the railing. 

</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>“The kingdom awaits news of your marriage with bated breath, your highness. Everyone wants to see you settle down with the right woman.”</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>“Heh. Trust me, the right person is out there somewhere.” Qrow said, casting his view to the crashing waves, “I can feel it. And when I do meet them, I’ll know.”</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>The right person. Not the right <em>woman,</em> the right <em>person.</em> The words were a symphony to Clover’s ears and heart.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>“I didn’t think you believed in love at first sight, old bird.”</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p> Qrow's fingers ghosted over the pocket where his flask would have been, had he not left it back at the castle.</p><p>“Still don’t. This is different, Oz. When I find them it’ll just hit me. Like lightning.”</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Speaking of the devil, lightning struck overhead at Qrow’s words. Hushed murmurs rose from the passengers of the ship, which turned to concerned chatter as thunder boomed. Light rain morphed into a heavy downpour, and the once comforting wind was now almost painful with its force.<br/>
Clover’s eyes grew wide with dread.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>“A storm. EVERYONE TAKE COVER!”</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Panic broke out as the rain came. The ship rocked with strong whirlwinds, and water rapidly started to fill its hull. At one point, a particular bolt of lightning set the sails on fire, and they lit up with flames that immediately started to spread.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>“We have to go. NOW.” Robyn declared, grabbing Clover’s wrist and pulling him into the water below.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Debris flew as the ship started to sink. The passengers made their way towards the lifeboats, some jumping into the ocean before paddling towards the nearest raft. Qrow pulled Ozpin out of the water and into the lifeboat he was in before a distant bark caught his attention.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Qrow looked up and saw Zwei, stranded on the blazing ship. Not pausing for a second, he jumped back into the water and swam back towards the wreckage. Screams of protest were drowned out by the crackling of the fire as he pulled himself onto the deck. </p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Grabbing the corgi, he headed back towards the water. Zwei was thrown overboard, and he safely sailed over the railing and into the ocean below. Qrow wasn’t so lucky. There was a loud cracking noise before a weak floorboard broke beneath his feet, trapping him on board.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>As he desperately tried to wrench his leg from the floor, the voice of his niece rang louder than all the chaos. </p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>
  <em>"UNCLE QROW!!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Qrow barely had time to turn around before a barrel of gunpowder caught aflame.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>The sinking ship lit up with a fiery explosion, and the merpeople couldn’t look away. Broken planks flew in every direction, and the duo dove back under the surface before they got hit. As they submerged Winter finally caught sight of them again, and she darted up towards the pair.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p><em>“What did you do?!”</em> Winter growled, grabbing Robyn by the wrist. </p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>“Do you think <em>we</em> did this? It was a storm, Ice Queen.” Robyn hissed, shrugging her off.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>“As if I’ll believe a <em>fugitive</em> like you. I should have arrested you when I had the chance.”</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>As the two viciously argued, Clover watched the ship slowly start to disappear beneath the waves. He could feel his heart pounding through his ears. </p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Penny?...Penny was on a lifeboat. She would be fine. </p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>But Qrow? He saw the prince go back to the ship. </p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>A vision of the prince appeared before his eyes. Qrow's body, limp and cold, sinking below the waves. Qrow’s ruby red eyes, glazed and unseeing by Death’s cruel hand.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>
  <em>No.</em>
</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Not giving Robyn and Winter a chance to stop him, Clover dashed towards the flaming wreck. He darted through the flames, frantically scanning the floating debris for the prince. The only thing he could think about, the only name, Qrow, Qrow, <em>Qrow-</em></p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Clover caught a brief glimpse of the prince’s greying hair, before it disappeared below the waves. He dove after the sinking silhouette and just barely managed to hold him in his arms. </p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Qrow was growing cold, but there was still an underlying warmth. Alive, but he wouldn’t be for long. </p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>The merman held onto his limp body and dragged him away from the wreckage. Qrow's cape only served to drag him down, so Clover prayed it didn't have any sentimental value before half-hazardly ripping it off of the prince, throwing it over his shoulder. </p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Wooden beams and endless fire rained down on them, but he didn’t stop for a second. Clover bolted towards the land, faster and faster, until the dawn rose and the burning ship finally disappeared underneath the waves.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>———</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>It was morning. Coarse sand stuck to Clover’s tail and torso as he dragged Qrow onto the shore. Once they were officially out of the water he collapsed next to the human, trying to catch his breath.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>They were safe. Safe and alive. Well...at least he was himself. Meanwhile, Qrow wasn’t moving. 

</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Putting his head to his chest, Clover held his breath and listened. His chest was still and cold. He wasn't breathing.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"Qrow, stay with me." Clover desperately whispered, gaze frantically darting to his face. He grabbed Qrow's arm and gently try to shake him awake, to no reaction. 

</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"You're not dying here, I won't let you."</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p> Clover racked his brain, trying to think of a solution.  Of course he wasn't breathing, the prince was human and he had damn near drowned. Humans couldn't survive with water in their lungs. 

</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>What had Penny told him about getting the water out?</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>He placed his hands on Qrow's chest and pressed down hard. <em>One, two, three, four, five.</em> He pushed in short bursts, mind racing. <em>One, two three, four, five.</em> Was he doing it right? He wouldn't know. <em>One, two three, four, five.</em> What mattered was saving him. It was the only thing that mattered. <em>One, two, three, four-</em></p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Qrow coughed violently, body lurching as he spat out an unhealthy amount of seawater. Clover sighed, relief flooding his system as the prince slowly regained his breath. He was alive. He was going to be okay. He-</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>“...She’s gone…”</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Clover snapped back to reality at Qrow’s words. The human tossed and turned, brow furrowing. </p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>“W...we have to go, Tai.” he mumbled, twisting his head away, “She’s gone...come back, have to…”</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>As safe and alive the prince was, he was also unconscious and <em>completely</em> out of it. He was seeing something. Visions? A nightmare? Flashbacks? Whatever they were, they were getting worse with every second, if the shaky sobs that escaped his throat meant anything. </p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Without thinking, Clover let a hand comb through Qrow’s hair to carefully soothe him.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>“Shhh…it’s okay.” Clover whispered, drawing closer, “You’re safe now. You're okay, just breathe.”</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Qrow seemed to visibly relax at Clover’s ministrations, face growing slack and sleep-talking reduced to soft murmurs.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Clover gently brushed a stray hair away from the other man’s face. Qrow was somehow even more breathtaking up close. His breath smelled like sea water and alcohol, and his face was wet with the ocean’s waves and sand. </p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Qrow unconsciously leaned into the hand caressing his face, and his crimson eyes groggily opened to meet sea green.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You’re wonderful.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Zwei’s barking dragged Qrow further towards consciousness, and Clover quickly dove back into the ocean before Ruby ran up to the half-unconscious man lying on the shore.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>“I’m so glad you’re okay. We all thought you were dead!” Ruby breathed, pulling him to his feet and hugging him tightly.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Qrow opened his eyes further, the sun reflecting off of the sparkling waves. As beautiful as it was, he was looking for something else. Someone else.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>“...Where is he?” Qrow slurred, looking around, “The guy who rescued me. He was just here. He was...holy shit, he was <em>ridiculously</em> hot.”</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>The man, his rescuer’s voice rang through his memory like a song. Even though the world was spinning around him, he could pinpoint every fleck of emerald in the mystery man’s eyes.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>“W-what?” Ruby’s brow furrowed with confusion as she looped his arm around her shoulder,  “Uncle Qrow, the water was crazy last night. There’s no way someone could have saved you…unless…"

Ruby cast her gaze towards the ocean...and snorted.

"Pffff! No way. Anyway, you should tell me more when we get back to the castle. YANG! I found him!” </p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Waves splashed against beachrock, slowly eroding the stone. The lone merman gazed wistfully at Qrow as he was gradually carried away. He watched as he became a speck in the distance, and for a little bit after. At some point Robyn and Winter surfaced and bombarded him with questions, but they were drowned out by the crashing waves and the ringing in his ears.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>It was certain. He, Clover Ebi, was in love for the first time.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>---</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Meanwhile, in his distant cavern, Tyrian was absolutely euphoric.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>“No…<em>NO!</em> It can’t be this easy.” He cackled, watching Clover, “The little soldier… is in love with a <em>human!</em> And a prince, too. Oh, poor Ironwood isn’t going to like that, now is he?”</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Tyrian’s tentacles twirled around him as he danced around his lair, fantasising about Ironwood’s undoing.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>“I wonder what face would James’ smitten golden boy make when he’s full of my poison? Tyrian wondered, “Would he try to be brave? Or would he squirm? Oh, I just can’t WAIT to find out.” </p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>The rings on his tentacles and around his eyes flashed from yellow to purple with his words. The sorcerer could already feel the venom building in his mouth.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>"The king will send him flocking to me soon enough.” Tyrian narrated gleefully, “He’ll be desperate enough to make a deal once Ironwood’s through with him.”</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>Clover was escorted back to the kingdom by a very frustrated Winter and amused Robyn, completely unaware of the coming threat. Tyrian grinned.</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It's only a matter of time, my Queen. Soon...your presence will grace this world again.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em></em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Was it worth the wait? Either way it was really fun to write. Comments and kudos are appreciated as always!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Before the Storm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>hoHOHO everything goes to shit</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Clover Ebi was...never the most subtle merman. </p>
<p>When he was happy, he beamed and flitted around like he owned the ocean. When he was upset, he would disappear for days on end until he recovered. But love? Him having a crush was new waters for everyone involved, and oh, did it show.  </p>
<p>Let’s just say two <em>hilariously unbearable</em> weeks of his sappy nonsense interrupting daily patrols was enough for everyone in the ocean to get suspicious. It was also enough for rumours to start spreading between his teammates, who all came to the same correct conclusion and proceeded to tease him about it endlessly.</p>
<p>“Hello, Commander? Is…something on your mind~?” Elm asked mischievously, peering around the corner to check on her leader. </p>
<p>He didn’t answer, continuing to inspect his hair in a nearby mirror. Was it too fluffy? Would Qrow like it? Tonight he had a very important date with his overactive imagination.</p>
<p>“Clover! Meeting’s about to start, let’s get moving.” Harriet huffed.</p>
<p>Humming a quiet tune under his breath, Clover glided into the main hall with his teammates. Ironwood counted them as the operatives swam in, almost surprised that he made it to five.</p>
<p>“Good to see you all again.” Ironwood greeted with a nod, “Now, I’m assuming your last perimeter check went well. Lately there has been some disruptions by Robyn and her <em>blah blah blah, humans, Harbinger, surface world, blah blah, Qrow Branwen, blah blah blah…”</em></p>
<p>Okay, so Clover stopped paying attention after five seconds. No big deal, that seemed to be happening a lot lately. And how could it not? A whole new world of possibilities had just opened, and he had fallen into it head-first with no regrets. He never thought he’d ever find someone as blatantly gorgeous as that prince, and his infatuation had only grown with every day-</p>
<p>“Clover? Do you understand?” Ironwood asked, leaning forward.</p>
<p>“Hm?” Clover snapped to attention at the mention of his name, “Ah, right. Mission, perimeters, Robyn. Completely understand.”</p>
<p>Ironwood squinted. He absolutely didn’t buy it.</p>
<p>“...Actually, why don’t you sit this one out?” Ironwood offered, “Maybe a little more you-time under the Atlantic sea is what you need to take your mind off of everything. After all, what could be better than your home kingdom?”</p>
<p>As out of it as he was, Clover could still tell Ironwood was trying to subtly coerce him into forgetting about his love for the surface world. Jokes on him, that wasn’t the only thing Clover loved now. He was going to take a break alright, but there was no way he was going to spend it mooning over the kingdom he so desperately wanted to leave.</p>
<p>Clover grinned, “Sounds good. Have a good day James!”</p>
<p>The infatuated team leader gave the king an exaggerated salute before swirling away with the current. He left the hall with the gaze of five pairs of eyes, ogling at him as he bumped into another merman on the way out.</p>
<p>All five merpeople had one thought on their minds: </p>
<p>What...the <em>fuck</em> had just happened?</p>
<p>“Oh no...no, no, NO.” Marrow groaned, “It’s worse than we thought. He’s in <em>deep.”</em> </p>
<p>“Grow up, Marrow!” Harriet chided, rolling her eyes, “You know, it’s about time he got some tail.” The merman made a good show of pretending to gag.</p>
<p>“What’s worse?” Ironwood questioned, turning to the other Ace-Ops, “Is Clover okay?”</p>
<p>“More than that!” Elm answered, raising an eyebrow slyly. “It looks like our fearless leader has finally fallen head over fins in <em>love.”</em> </p>
<p>...Love?</p>
<p>Vine looked like he was about to comment on Clover being perfect upright and not with his flippers over his head, but Elm elbowed him and he shut his mouth.</p>
<p>Ironwood fiddled with his beard, placing the pieces together. Clover Ebi, formidable companion and one of Atlantis’ finest operatives, in love? He supposed it was about time. Whoever it was would be a very lucky merman.</p>
<p>At least...he hoped it was a merman.</p>
<p>------</p>
<p>“Ebi, this is getting ridiculous.” Winter grumbled, “The king must be suspicious by now. You’ve been acting like some sort of LOVESICK schoolgirl. ”</p>
<p>Lovesick was definitely the right word for Clover at that moment. He was currently lying on the ocean bed, staring at the water above him. Daydreaming about blood red eyes, scruffy greyed hair, toned legs...yep, he would never get over that mysterious human. </p>
<p>Clover bolted upright. “I need to see Qrow again. Tonight, Robyn can swim up to the beach and throw rocks at the castle until we get his attention. Then, when he goes to the shoreline I’ll come out of the water and-”</p>
<p>“And <em>nothing.”</em> Winter interjected, “What would the king think if he knew about this? Judging by the way you’re acting, this isn’t going to stay a secret for very long. And speaking of that human, you risked the secrecy of the kingdom so you could save his life! He’s a prince. If he saw that you were a mermaid who know how-”</p>
<p>Clover sighed dramatically and laid back onto the sand, ignoring Winter’s scolding. His fantasies took a leap in quality, but the theme remained the same. </p>
<p>Qrow Branwen. <em>Prince Qrow Branwen.</em> It was a beautiful name, but something was missing. </p>
<p>How about Prince Qrow <em>Ebi?</em></p>
<p>
  <em>Branwen-Ebi?</em>
</p>
<p>Or Prince Clover <em>Branwen-</em></p>
<p>“Hey, shrimp.” Robyn snapped her fingers in front of Clover’s face, “Come with me. I’ve got a surprise for you.”</p>
<p>“Robyn, there you are!” Clover shot back up to face her, “Okay, hear me out. I was thinking tonight, you could swim-”</p>
<p>“It has something to do with your human, and I’ve got a date with Fiona so it can’t wait. Now get moving.”</p>
<p>Clover bolted after Robyn, who was already swimming away. Winter scrambled for words as the two headed towards Clover’s cavern.</p>
<p>“Ebi, Hill, come back! What am I supposed to tell the king?”</p>
<p>Winter’s words were instantly challenged, as Elm came towards her with a knowing smirk on her face.</p>
<p>“Oh Winter!” Elm teased, “King Ironwood wants to see you. There’s something he wants to know about Clover~.” </p>
<p>Winter’s stomach tightened.</p>
<p>
  <em>He knows.</em>
</p>
<p>-------</p>
<p>Winter couldn’t remember a time where the doors of the main hall were so threatening. She swallowed and slowly swam into the hall, where Ironwood greeted her with a teasing glance. The other Ace Ops were standing to the side, obviously eagerly awaiting her death.</p>
<p>“Hello Winter.” Ironwood waved, “Come in! Let’s talk.”</p>
<p>Trying to sit up tall, Winter hesitantly made her way to Ironwood’s side. Calm. Stay calm. Give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he didn’t know.</p>
<p>“Now, it has come to my attention that Clover has been acting distant lately. I was wondering if you might know anything about this? Perhaps something or...someone has come into his life to distract him?”</p>
<p>Winter choked on water.</p>
<p>Ironwood glanced at the tip of his staff as an act of nonchalance, but to Winter he was already planning where to hang her head after her execution.</p>
<p>“Not that I’m aware of.” she spluttered.</p>
<p>“Oh, Winter there’s no need to be so formal.” Ironwood let out a hearty laugh that sent shivers down her spine, “You can trust me.”</p>
<p>She steeled her expression and turned away, trying not to completely break. She couldn’t let her feelings get the better of her.</p>
<p>“You <em>have</em> been considerably close to him in the past few weeks. I know you’re hiding something.”</p>
<p>Ginger hair flashed through her thoughts for a split second. She imagined Penny, carefree and loveable Penny, skewered on the blue gem on the tip of Ironwood’s staff as punishment. </p>
<p>“You know...Clover?”</p>
<p>Ironwood loomed closer in the corner of her eye.</p>
<p>“In <em>love~?”</em></p>
<p>
  <em>SHIT.</em>
</p>
<p>“Your majesty, I know you must be furious at Clover, but you have to forgive him.” Winter bowed frantically, “He may be in love with a human right now, but he’ll move on. He doesn’t know any better! I told him to stay away from this human nonsense, but no matter what I tried he just didn’t listen-”</p>
<p>“Winter?”</p>
<p>The mermaid looked up at the king, who’s expression had violently turned sour. His knuckles were growing white around his golden staff.</p>
<p>“ What do you mean, he’s in love with a <em>human?”</em></p>
<p>…<br/>
oh.</p>
<p>“...Excuse me.” Winter mumbled, bolting towards the gate.</p>
<p>“Winter.”</p>
<p>Ironwood’s booming voice stopped Winter in her tracks.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Tell me what’s going on.”</em>
</p>
<p>-----</p>
<p>“Okay...now!”</p>
<p>Clover opened his eyes and came face to face with a beautiful, very familiar sword. He immediately recognised it as Harbinger, the weapon Qrow had been gifted before the wreck. Somehow it hadn’t been destroyed during the explosion.</p>
<p>“I was going to wait for you before we explored the wreck, but my girls got impatient.” Robin crossed her arms proudly, “You’re welcome.”</p>
<p>“Thank you, Robyn.” Clover tried to stifle his sheepish smile with a hand, ultimately failing. </p>
<p>“Oh, don’t thank me now,” Robyn smirked as Clover gingerly swam over to it. “Thank me when he falls in love with you on the spot when you return it.” </p>
<p><em>It really was perfectly made.</em> Clover thought as he slowly picked up the sword. Qrow came to his mind again; searching for his sword along the coastline to no avail. He imagined surfacing from the waves in the middle of the night, sword in hand, to greet Qrow.</p>
<p>“Oh, you were looking for this sword? Funny, I happened to stumble across it during my daily patrols. Lucky you, huh~?” He ended his hypothetical courting with a wink before bursting into embarrassed laughter. </p>
<p>Robyn gagged over-dramatically, eliciting a playful punch from the flustered merman. Clover experimentally twirled Harbinger around, imagining Qrow expertly take down his enemies with it. They shot ideas back and forth, coming up with random scenarios where the prince proposed on the spot and they rode off into the sunset.</p>
<p>It couldn’t last.</p>
<p>“Commander Ebi, <em>what are you doing?”</em></p>
<p>Clover whipped around to face King Ironwood, standing in the doorway. Harbinger fell from his hands and disturbed the sand when it hit the floor. </p>
<p>“James.” Clover’s mouth felt dry, “I can explain...”</p>
<p>Winter watched from her place behind the king. Once Robyn saw her tail poking out from behind Ironwood, her expression hurdled from confusion to cold-blooded rage. </p>
<p>“You said you wouldn't tell him. You lied, you fucking <em>BOOTLICKER.”</em> Robyn growled at Winter.</p>
<p>Even though Winter had no idea what a ‘boot’ was, the tone of Robyn’s words made her stern expression falter.</p>
<p>“Clover, this is...what even is this? I thought I was getting through to you. I trusted you. How long did you think you could hide this from me?” Ironwood grumbled, “You must think I’m a fool.”</p>
<p>The merman was tongue-tied. What was he supposed to say? Should he have grovelled, apologising profusely, selling his friend out like Winter had? Or should he have fought back?</p>
<p>“And <em>you.”</em> Ironwood hissed, moving his attention to Robyn, “You are going into custody, with the rest of your associates.”</p>
<p>“Over your dead body, Ironbitch.” Robyn snatched the nearest blunt object off of a shelf and brandished it like a weapon. The king gritted his teeth and fought the urge to shoot her right then and there.</p>
<p>“Do you even see what you’ve been doing?” Ironwood raved, turning back to the operative, “Look around you, Clover. Fraternising with a fugitive, collecting human junk...you can’t possibly think this is right.”</p>
<p>Clover turned away, anger slowly pooling in his stomach.</p>
<p>“And that <em>human</em> Winter says you rescued.” Clover balked at the mention of Qrow, “Is what she said true? Did you actually stop that human prince from drowning?" 

</p><p>As much as he would have loved to throw Winter under the proverbial bus, even she didn't deserve that. He held his head high and slowly nodded.</p>
<p>Ironwood groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose, "You saved a human prince, EXPOSING our kind-”</p>
<p>"I had to!" Clover defended, "What else was I supposed to do?"</p>
<p>"You could have left him." Ironwood offered.

</p><p>"What? He would have <em>died!"</em></p>
<p>
  <em>"And our people would have stayed safe. A justifiable sacrifice, if you ask me."</em>
</p>
<p>Just the <em>idea</em> of leaving Qrow to drown filled Clover with scorn. The Ace Op's trust for his commander, slowly built up over years and years or reassurance and honesty, was dissolving in a matter of seconds.</p>
<p>“Qrow is different. <em>Humans are different.”</em> Clover gritted his teeth, “You would know that, if you bothered to learn about them. You’re only saying they’re so horrible because you’re too scared of them to do anything else. If you'll let a human die to further this non-existent rule, how do we know you aren't just as bad as they are?”</p>
<p>Ironwood’s eyes grew wider at Clover’s bold disobedience, hot rage coursing through his silver limbs. </p>
<p>“Call me what you want, Ebi, but what matters is the truth. And that truth is that we can’t trust humans.”</p>
<p>“You’re not <em>listening to me.”</em></p>
<p> Whoever that human is, he’s probably a disgusting-”</p>
<p>“Don’t-”</p>
<p>“MURDEROUS-“</p>
<p>
  <em>“I’M IN LOVE WITH HIM!!”</em>
</p>
<p>Ironwood’s face turned white. Clover’s defiance melted into dread with the realisation of what he had just said. The king let out a menacing growl.</p>
<p>“I can’t tolerate this. I wish there was some other way, but you have to learn somehow.”</p>
<p>Clover’s voice trembled as he spoke, barely keeping his composure. </p>
<p>“James, please don’t do this.”</p>
<p>Ironwood’s staff sparked and glowed. “Friends call me James. You will address me as your Majesty.”</p>
<p>Winter turned away, unable to keep watching. Robyn ducked for cover behind a nearby rock.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Now get out of my way.”</em>
</p>
<p>Bright bolts of light erupted from the head of the staff, destroying whatever it was pointed at. Robyn watched in horror as years of collecting and scavenging was demolished. Winter shielded her eyes from the flying remains. </p>
<p>Clover was frozen, unable to do anything but watch Ironwood’s onslaught. He wanted to scream, to beg, to pull that disgusting staff from Ironwood’s hands and snap it like a twig, not that he’d be able to.</p>
<p>Eventually Harbinger was the only part of his collection left. Clover shot a pleading look towards Ironwood that was immediately disregarded. One blinding beam later, the sword splintered with a yellow glow and blew up with a shower of bubbles, obliterating the last of his collection.</p>
<p>Ironwood cast one last peek at Clover as the debris cleared. A hint of regret shone through his features before he hardened once more and left, leaving him with his empty cavern.</p>
<p>Sand flew around Clover as he collapsed on the floor. He felt like his heart had been stabbed with the very sword that had been destroyed. All of it was…gone.</p>
<p>Robyn slowly swam out of her hiding place and Winter finally opened her eyes to behold the mess around her. The two mermaids tentatively swam closer to Clover.</p>
<p>“Clover…” Winter began.</p>
<p>“How could you?” </p>
<p>The simple question shook Winter to the core. Clover didn’t turn around.</p>
<p>“...it wasn’t my intention” she admitted, reaching out to the merman, “He called me on and asked me-”</p>
<p>
  <em>“Get out.”</em>
</p>
<p>Winter recoiled in shame, before hastily leaving. Robyn said nothing, choosing to follow Winter out.</p>
<p>Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the clover pin. Swimming over to it, he grabbed it and examined it. Somehow it had survived, making it the last of his collection. He held it close to his heart, clutching it as if it would dissolve if he didn’t hold it tightly enough.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry.” he whispered to nobody, numbly staring at the floor, “I’m...so sorry.”</p>
<p>Who was he apologising to? James, for breaking his trust? Robyn, for dragging her into this mess? Or Qrow, for getting his sword destroyed because of his own carelessness? How was he supposed to go back now? Funny, he didn’t want to go back now.</p>
<p>The water around him was suffocating, drawing closer, filling his lungs.</p>
<p>He couldn’t go back.</p>
<p>He couldn’t stay here.</p>
<p>He couldn’t...</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>
  <em>Poor little kingfisher. All alone with nowhere to go.</em>
</p>
<p>Clover looked up, and came face to face with two large sea scorpions. If he weren’t so exhausted, he would have jumped back in alarm.</p>
<p>
  <em>Looks like someone got on his Majesty’s bad side. If only there was something I could do to help.</em>
</p>
<p>The scorpions circled him like they were sharks, drawing closer and closer.</p>
<p>
  <em>Oh, but it seems today is your lucky day. What if I told you I could give you everything you want? Your prince, the surface world...<strong>everything.</strong></em>
</p>
<p>“...who are you?” Clover asked hesitantly.</p>
<p>
  <em>The name is <strong>Tyrian</strong>, dear friend. And I have great power I am ready to share...if you are willing to play a little game to keep it.</em>
</p>
<p>His thoughts came to an abrupt halt. Tyrian? The wanted sorcerer. He had heard enough stories from King Ironwood to know who he was. </p>
<p>No, no, <em>no.</em> As tempting as it seemed, he couldn’t accept whatever deal he was offering.</p>
<p>“Leave me alone.” Clover hissed, “Or it’ll be my pleasure to personally bring you in to the king.”</p>
<p>
  <em>...very well then. I suppose I’ll be on my way.  You must be happy staying under Ironwood’s thumb after all.</em>
</p>
<p>He squirmed at the mention of the king, the memory of what had just happened replaying like a bad dream. The scorpions brushed against him as they slowly swam towards the exit of the cave.</p>
<p>
  <em>It was only a suggestion.</em>
</p>
<p><em>Thwk!</em> A scorpion tail sent a scrap piece of metal to the edge of Clover’s tail. </p>
<p>The handle of Qrow’s sword. </p>
<p>The sword he would never be able to return.</p>
<p>
  <em>Good luck.</em>
</p>
<p>“Wait.”</p>
<p>The scorpions turned around, taunting him. Clover took one more look at the destroyed cavern around him. Seeing his years of passionate work strewn around in pieces, as if they were bits and pieces of junk, kindled a new fire inside him. Ready to swallow him whole and burn anyone in his way. Blazing, iron-willed, <em>determination.</em></p>
<p>Clover extended his hand to the scorpions. </p>
<p>“I’ll go.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I rewatched the V7 finale to get the tone of Ironwood’s screaming right and...fcking yikes,,,,, </p>
<p>Thanks for reading! Kudos/comments/generally existing ALL appreciated.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Tyrian's Wager</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Clover follows the scorpions, meets Tyrian and shit gets REAL.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You’ve got to be JOKING.” Robyn groaned.</p>
<p>“I didn’t mean to tell him.” Winter’s fists clenched as she eyed the floor in shame, “I thought he suspected us, so I attempted to reason with him. Foolish mistake on my part.”</p>
<p>Robyn exhaled, rubbing her temples. “Yeah, it was. Gods, what is WITH you Atlantis elites?”  </p>
<p>“This has NOTHING to do with my status.”</p>
<p>“I don't give a shit about your status. If you had pulled your head out of your fancy tail for one second maybe you could have-”</p>
<p>A shadow passed over the two, and they looked up. Clover was swimming away, two very familiar sea scorpions on either side of him. A chill ran down Winter’s spine as she suddenly got a very bad feeling.</p>
<p>“Clover? <em>Clover!!”</em> Winter whispered sharply, bolting up to him, “What are you doing?</p>
<p>“I’m going to see Tyrian.” </p>
<p>
  <em>...SHIT.</em>
</p>
<p>“Are you out of your mind? He’s a lunatic.” Winter hissed frantically, swimming in front of him, “He takes pleasure in killing innocent merpeople after roping them into impossible challenges.”</p>
<p>“I’m well aware.”</p>
<p>“The you know you can’t-”</p>
<p>“If you really want to stop me, <em>tell the king.”</em> Clover snapped, "You’ll get a promotion if you're lucky.”</p>
<p>Winter recoiled as the scorpions continued to lead Clover away. Robyn winced before shaking her head and powering on after Clover, who was disappearing from sight.</p>
<p>“Come on!” Robyn called out, snapping Winter back to reality. Bubbles foamed around Winter’s iridescent tail as the two mermaids sped after their friend.</p>
<p>Through hordes of kelp and bleached-white coral, Robyn and Winter weaved through as fast as they could in order to not lose sight of the merman. Finally, they saw Clover’s deep-green tail disappear through the mouth of a skull of a...creature. </p>
<p>If you had asked either of the mermaids, neither would be able to tell you exactly what the skeleton came from. All they knew was that they didn’t want to find out. A foreboding purple glow lit the inside of the ribcage, and smoke poured out of the holes where flesh and organs used to be.</p>
<p>As Clover made his way through the halls of the lair, he passed by some statues that tastefully lined the walls. All of them had horrified looks on their faces, which started to creep him out the further the more he looked at them. </p>
<p>They seemed to be begging for something from him with their eyes. If he stared enough, maybe he could figure it out.</p>
<p><em>..get...o...</em><br/>
<em>...don’t...</em><br/>
GET OUT.</p>
<p>The merman was dragged forward by the cloth around his arm. The scorpions led him through the maze of statues, finally bringing him to a large room. It was dimly lit, and lined with cabinets carrying weird bottles and boxes. At the far edge of the room, a figure watched himself in the mirror until it realised it had company.</p>
<p>Tying off his tangled braid, the sea sorcerer whipped around and greeted him with a vicious smile.</p>
<p>Clover had never seen the wizard before, but now he suddenly wished it had stayed that way. From his sickly complexion, to dark purple tentacles, everything screamed that something about him was just a little bit...off.</p>
<p>“So, you must be Ironwood’s lovesick soldier boy.” Tyrian mused, tentacles twisting around him and beckoning the merman forward. Clover hesitated, but eventually swam the sorcerer.</p>
<p>“Yes, yes! Come closer.” Tyrian waved, “It’s about time you paid me a visit.”</p>
<p>Clover took a deep breath in. Fortune favoured the brave.</p>
<p>“Alright.” he began tentatively,  “Callows, I’m here because I-”</p>
<p>“You special operatives are so FORMAL, it’s suffocating.” the sorcerer cried, dramatically draping over his seat, “Please, call me Tyrian. And...I already know what you’re here for. I know...MANY things about you.”</p>
<p><em>...Brothers,</em> this guy was weird.</p>
<p>“Well, if you know what I want, you must have a solution.” Clover stood up straighter, “What do you suggest I do?”</p>
<p>“Why, little kingfisher, if you really want to live happily ever after with your drunken prince charming, the only solution would be to become human yourself.”</p>
<p>….oh.</p>
<p>“And...you would help me do that? For no reason?” Clover asked, unsure what he was hearing was true.</p>
<p><em>“What?”</em> Tyrian pouted, batting his eyes “Can’t a merman mix things up around here~? Dear friend, all I want is to help fellow, <em>unfortunate</em> merfolk such as yourself. I am a servant of the one true <em>goddess,</em> and her benevolence insists I be a servant of the people too.”</p>
<p>Goddess. </p>
<p>
  <em>Salem. </em>
</p>
<p>He had only ever heard about the dreaded sea goddess Salem from Ironwood. An unhinged, yet calculated monster, who tried to destroy both the land and the sea years ago. They called it the Battle of Grimm, a heinous war that the goddess almost won. Their only salvation was the queen of the surface world, a human with unknown powers that whom the king had privately called on in an act of desperation.</p>
<p>Ironwood never told him what happened after. </p>
<p>Tyrian got out of his chair and twirled to face Clover. “All I seek for myself is entertainment. That’s why I place my bets, my wagers, if you will. After all, there's little fun to be had with a simple purchase.” </p>
<p>The sorcerer swam towards the doorway Clover had swam through, tentacles subtly gesturing towards the statues.</p>
<p>“If you’re truly worthy of our services, one of my challenges should be child’s play. And if not..you’ll always make a fine decoration for my grotto.”</p>
<p>Clover’s gaze flickered over to the statues. </p>
<p>The oddly realistic statues.</p>
<p>Oh no.</p>
<p>Trying to process what he had just learnt, Clover hasn’t even noticed how close Tyrian had gotten until he felt a few unwelcome tentacles snake around him to drag him forward.</p>
<p>“Now, let me set the scene,” Tyrian began, bringing him to a small stone podium in the middle of the room, “I will generously whip up a little spell that will transform you into a human for three days. During that time you can explore, do whatever or whomever you want. But before the sun sets on the third day, you have to get your dear old albatross to<em> fall in love with you.</em> Well, you have to get him to kiss you.”</p>
<p>Clover turned bright red at the idea, and he quickly averted Tyrian’s slimy gaze.</p>
<p>“Aww, why so shy~?" he leered, "You’re not going to get anywhere with that attitude.”</p>
<p>The podium opened up like a blooming flower, projecting an enchanted silhouette of a merman.</p>
<p>“Anyway, if he does kiss you in those three days, you’ll remain a human...permanently! Then you can run off with your prince, live happily ever after, you get the idea.”</p>
<p>Wrapped in a yellow glow, the silhouette grew a pair of human legs and ran. Clover watched in awe. Was that possible? Could that be him?</p>
<p>“But, if he doesn’t, you’ll turn back into a merman. And...”</p>
<p>The silhouette was sucked back into the podium, and it snapped shut. </p>
<p>
  <em>“You’ll belong to us.”</em>
</p>
<p>“Clover, STOP!” Robyn shouted, bursting out of her hiding place with Winter not far behind. </p>
<p>Before he could react, both mermaids were surrounded by Tyrian’s sea scorpions, which circled them and crackled with electricity. As they tried to move the scorpions shocked them, and they screamed in pain.</p>
<p>“Oh yes, and I almost forgot. Payment.” Tyrian snickered, ignoring the mermaids, “Just a little tit for tat. As much as I’d love to let you play for free, I’m afraid there’s always a price when it comes to my enchantments.”</p>
<p>Clover glanced back at his friends before turning to the sorcerer yet again.</p>
<p>“What do you want?”</p>
<p>“First off, I want that cute little pin you’re holding.” Tyrian started, poking Clover’s enclosed hands with a tentacle, "I'll need a conduit for my spell."</p>
<p>He was definitely reluctant; it was the last item from his collection left. Then he thought of the surface world. And <em>Qrow. </em></p>
<p>Taking one last glimpse at the pin, he closed his eyes and shakily placed it Tyrian’s outstretched hand.</p>
<p>“...Okay.” Clover exhaled, straightening his back, “What else?”</p>
<p>Despite the confident facade, Tyrian could smell the fear on the merman. The desperation. He wanted to eat it alive. But not yet. No, there was much more fun to be had.</p>
<p>“Oh, it’s nothing, really! A small trifle, a token, if anything. Trust me, you won’t miss it.”</p>
<p>Tyrian took hold of Clover’s chin and tilted his head up, forcing him to look into his golden eyes.</p>
<p>“The other thing I want is…” Tyrian paused for dramatic effect, yellow flashing into purple.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Your voice.”</em>
</p>
<p>...<br/>
What?</p>
<p>Clover was stunned. For a second he didn’t know if he even heard Tyrian right. His nails dug into his chin, making it hard for him to move away.</p>
<p>“My voice?” Clover choked out softly.</p>
<p>“You’ve got it, golden boy.” Tyrian let go of him, tentacles waving as he swam to his shelf, “No more talking, flirting, zip.”</p>
<p>The merman clutched his throat, “But without my voice, I can’t-”</p>
<p>“EXACTLY!” Tyrian interrupted gleefully, “Why, if you had your voice you could simply <em>tell</em> him you were the person who rescued him. Then it would be over too soon. And that wouldn’t make it a <em>fair game,</em> now would it?”</p>
<p>Something told him Tyrian wasn’t exactly a player of fair games, considering the amount of statues in his garden. But right then wasn’t the time for rational thought. </p>
<p>“Besides, to gain prince charming’s favour I’m sure you’ll be able to find...<em>better</em> uses for your mouth anyway.” Tyrian leered, clicking his fingers.</p>
<p>Clover flinched as a bright yellow contract appeared out of thin air. Leaning closer, he skimmed over it to get the basic idea; one voice for a pair of legs...three days...claiming possession of soul...all eternity… he couldn’t stop the small shred of doubt that raced through him at the word ‘eternity’.</p>
<p>“I’ve prepared everything. Now all you have to do is sign on the dotted line.” Tyrian gestured towards the fishbone quill hovering next to him, “It’s so easy. If you win, you two lovebirds can fly off and live happily ever after. <em>Forever.”</em></p>
<p>His voice for a pair of legs...and freedom. But was it even a fair deal? Clover took pride in his ability to calm any situation though reason, through comfort and compliments. What would he be without his voice? </p>
<p>Did that even matter, when the goal was to win an almost impossible game? The sorcerer must have designed these challenges to be unbeatable. But if he didn’t take the deal, he would have to return to who he was before. </p>
<p>Back to the kingdom, back to the Ace Ops, back to James. The thought made his blood run cold.</p>
<p>And there was Qrow. Handsome Qrow, who’s ruby eyes pierced through his daydreams. Selfless Qrow, who almost died while saving something he loved. Patient Qrow, who would wait a lifetime for his one true love to appear.</p>
<p>Being a part of his life would be worth the challenge alone.</p>
<p>Tyrian basked in Clover indecision and building distress. He needed more. More hopelessness. More fear. Tyrian would take everything from the kingfisher before he ripped him to shreds. He leaned closer into the merman's face, egging him on.</p>
<p>“Go on. Sign it.”</p>
<p>The quill called to him, like a siren’s song.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Sign it.”</em>
</p>
<p>His fingers enclosed around the quill’s handle.</p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em>“SIGN IT!”</em>
  </strong>
</p>
<p>Robyn and Winter shot out of the grasp of the sea scorpions a second too late. Clover swiftly signed his name on the dotted line in a rushed cursive. </p>
<p>The contract rolled back into a scroll before flying into Tyrian’s hand and disappearing with a clench of his fist. A wave of energy sent the mermaids flying back, and the sorcerer gave the merman a slasher grin. </p>
<p>The deal had been made.</p>
<p>Gliding to another cabinet, Tyrian started to pull what seemed like random objects off of the shelves and toss them into a large cauldron. Occasionally Clover had to duck as ingredients, living or otherwise, haphazardly flew into the pot. As the cauldron filled it started to sputter and flash with magical energy.</p>
<p>Tyrian's eyes lit up as he started to chant a spell in an ancient language. Clover tried to make out any discernible words, but they all melted into a cesspool of noise as they mingled with his friends’ screaming and the bewitched cauldron’s crackling. </p>
<p>Giggling, Tyrian held Clover’s pin in his right hand and locked eyes with the merman.</p>
<p>“Now…little bird...”</p>
<p>Green, hand shaped wisps of enchanted smoke burst out of the cauldron.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Sing.”</em>
</p>
<p>The cavern around him seemed to fade into a hazy fog of light and smoke. Clover opened his mouth and sang, but at that point he barely felt conscious. The sickening green tendrils of magic that swirled around were smothering him, choking him, playing him like a puppet on Tyrian’s strings.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Keep singing!”</em>
</p>
<p>The wispy hands drew closer. Robyn and Winter’s protests faded to a dull roar in the background. Clover kept singing. He doubted he could have stopped, even if he tried. He was under a whole different sort of spell. </p>
<p>The smoke poured into his lungs, and as it slowly drew out he could feel his breath leave with it. The hands now held a glowing, sea green orb, which continued Clover’s tune. He gulped, grabbing his throat as the orb sealed itself in the pin. It gleamed with the essence of magic.</p>
<p>Tyrian screamed with laughter as the contents of the cauldron spilled and enveloped the merman. A searing pain enveloped his tail, and he let out a silent scream. Then the bubble of enchantment around him popped, and he suddenly realised he couldn’t breathe.</p>
<p>Clover gasped for air, bubbles rising around him as he desperately tried to move. Liquid filled his lungs, and he coughed and choked. Black spots formed in his vision until all he could see was inky nothingness. </p>
<p>Robyn and Winter dashed towards Clover just as he went limp. Grabbing one arm each they fled through a hole in the cavern’s roof, heading towards the surface. </p>
<p>Tyrian finally quieted down a few minutes after they were out of sight. Oh well. He was slightly hoping that the merman would <em>drown,</em> but that wasn’t what his goddess desired. No, now things were about to get a lot more interesting. </p>
<p>Look out, surface. Look out, Ironwood. The game had begun.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>...so yeah, I love writing for the scorpion bastard. On a lighter note, Qrow will meet Clover again in the next chapter!</p>
<p>Thanks for reading! Kudos/comments/generally existing ALL appreciated.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. I Know You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Clover gets used to his new body. Winter gets fcking PISSED. Zwei picks up a familiar scent.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hell yeah, time for Qrow!!</p><p>Also, chapters after this might be a little slower because I have to focus on schoolwork, etc. Even if things get bad I'll try to update every week/two weeks at most.</p><p>Here's some art I drew of the scene between Qrow and Clover at the end: https://randomcattoons.tumblr.com/post/613792715597037568/wanted-to-draw-the-beach-scene-were-not-even</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Ouch.</em>
</p><p>The morning sun beamed straight into Clover’s eyes as he slowly came back to consciousness. Taking in his surroundings, he realised that he was on the beach, submerged waist deep in the water.</p><p>“Oh, thank the gods. You’re still alive.”</p><p>Clover focused on the voice and saw a worn-out looking Robyn, who sighed with relief when Clover sat up and softly groaned. </p><p>Other than her ponytail being noticeably unkempt, Robyn looked normal. Meanwhile, Winter looked completely dishevelled. Her tidy bun had been undone, and her snow-white hair was clinging to her face. She tapped her finger against beachrock, shooting metaphorical daggers at Clover.</p><p>Which was just as well, because Clover felt like he had been stabbed multiple times. His body was unusually weak, and all of his limbs ached to some degree. His arms, his legs, every time he moved all he could feel-</p><p>…<br/>
Legs?</p><p>Shaking from his lack of strength, Clover raised a right leg out of the shallow water he was sitting in. His right leg. He ran his fingers over his calves, down to his feet. Smooth skin, rather than bumpy scales. </p><p>
  <em>Legs.</em>
</p><p>Holy shit. It worked.</p><p>He was human.</p><p>Clover whipped around to look at Robyn again, pointing at his new limbs as if she didn’t already see them.</p><p>“And now that's out of the way...” her expression hardened, "Care to explain <em>what the hell you were thinking?”</em></p><p>...Okay, so they were <em>both</em> mad at him. Lovely.</p><p>Melodical humming filled the air before Penny strolled down the beach. All three merpeople let out a held breath when they realised she was still alive. Once she saw the trio, she stopped and gasped.</p><p>“SALUTATIONS, friends! What a wonderful coincidence.” Penny cried, running to the trio and plonking into the water next to Clover, “What are you doing here?”</p><p>A stupid grin spread on Clover’s face as he lifted his legs out of the water, showing them off to Penny.</p><p>“Is this normal for merpeople?” Penny asked, grabbing his foot, “Can they shed their tails and grow legs so they can walk on land?”</p><p>“Penny, that’s ridiculous.” Robyn griped. “No, this idiot sold his voice to a crazy sorcerer for legs, and now he has three days to get this guy he saved to kiss him or he loses his soul.” </p><p>Robyn didn’t seem to realise the latter was a much more ridiculous explanation. Actually, <em>everything</em> about this situation would have been ridiculous to a normal person.</p><p>Penny lit up in realisation, “That reminds me. Lately Prince Branwen has been sending us on search parties to look for a mysterious man who rescued him on the night of the shipwreck. Do you three know any mermen who could have been there at that time?”</p><p>Clover eyes widened. He turned back to Robyn, his smile only growing. </p><p>Robyn sighed, “It’s...it’s Clover. He's the one who saved Qrow.”</p><p>Gods, if Qrow was looking for him, what the hell was he still doing here? He had to find him! Using Robyn’s outstretched arms as support, he slowly brought himself up to stand on his violently shaking legs.</p><p>Penny gasped, even louder this time. “SENSATIONAL! Now that you’re human, Prince Branwen will finally get a husband, Atlantis will remain a secret AND we can talk whenever we want because you’ll be living in the palace. Everybody wins!”</p><p>SPLSH! Clover’s first step failed spectacularly, and he tumbled back into the shallow water.  </p><p>“It’s not that easy, Penny.” Robyn gritted her teeth, “Especially when he can’t prove he’s the right person because he’ll have no voice to tell him.”</p><p>Winter’s finger tapped faster against the rock she was leaning against as he poked his head through the surface again, coughing.</p><p>Robyn's anger finally dissipated, and she gave him a pained smile. “But...it looks like he'll need all the help he can get. And I'll be here whenever he-”</p><p>Slamming her fist on the rocks, Winter whipped around to face the vigilante with murder in her eyes.</p><p><em>“Your help isn't going to DO ANYTHING.</em> Look at him! He’s on human legs he can barely stand on, given to him so he can kiss a human PRINCE he barely knows, and you think encouraging this is going to <em>help?"</em> Winter yelled, gesturing towards Clover.</p><p>“What else can we do? Either we help him get some hot human ass or he goes back to King Jimmy. Kind of a no-brainer, Ice Queen." Robyn shot back.</p><p><em>"...ugh."</em> Winter whipped around to face Clover. “Ebi, knowing everything about Tyrian and his games, how could you still make a deal with him? You couldn’t have been <em>that</em> desperate to escape.”</p><p>Considering the shitstorm the paranoid king had put him through only yesterday, calling him desperate to escape was a kind description. </p><p>Clover opened his mouth to reason with Winter, but no words came out of his mouth when he tried to speak. This, of course, only made her more furious.</p><p>“Right...<em>right.</em> I forgot you DON'T HAVE A VOICE either. There's no winning. Of all the exceedingly reckless, bullheaded decisions you have ever made, you've finally done something that'll get you <em>killed</em>, all so you can fool around with some human for less than a week.”</p><p>He watched as Winter continued to ramble, noticing her start to duck below the water.</p><p>“King Ironwood will be furious. He’ll fire you as leader of the Ace-Ops, he might <em>banish you from the kingdom completely.</em> I’m going back to the palace to tell him-”</p><p>Clover grabbed her arm quickly before she completely dove under the surface, and she popped back up to face him again. He shook his head frantically.</p><p>“Don't look at me like that.” Winter spat, “I am doing this for the good of our people. If I get the king, we can convince that wizard to give you back your voice. Then everything will go back to normal. You can go back, to the Ace Ops and the palace, and just be…”</p><p>She paused as she saw Clover, the growing sadness in his eyes undeniable.</p><p>“Just be…”</p><p>“...miserable for the rest of his life?” Penny finished. </p><p>Her gaze flickered over to Penny, then to Robyn, before returning to her reflection in the water.</p><p>It wasn’t an easy choice. Not even close. But her years and years of loyalty to the king had gradually been chipped away, by Penny’s enthusiastic tales of the surface world and her observance of Clover’s foolish fascination.</p><p>Meeting his eyes once more, Winter let out a sigh and resigned herself to her fate. </p><p>“Fine, I’ll help you too. I’m committing treason either way." she muttered. </p><p>Clover smiled and finally let go of her. He held out his hand for her to shake, offering a temporary truce. </p><p>"Just...consider it an apology for telling him your secret.” Winter said, reluctantly taking it. “This doesn't mean I approve of any of this."</p><p>Exchanging amused glances, Robyn and Clover both raised their eyebrows in doubt. </p><p>“Okay, first things first, you’re going to have to wear something!” Penny announced, pulling a destroyed mast off of the beach, “I doubt the prince is going to talk to you without clothes.”</p><p>“Well, he <em>is</em> trying to woo him,” Robyn cracked a smirk, “Maybe he’ll have an easier time without clothes.” </p><p>Clover punched her in the arm.</p><p>———</p><p>“Something isn’t right about this.” Penny murmured, gripping her chin with the thumb and forefinger. </p><p>“Try adding more rope,” Winter suggested.</p><p>Penny had wrapped Clover in the sail of the shipwrecked boat, and was currently trying to keep it on him by tying the cloth to his body with rope. Winter tried to give actual advice on how to make it appear less terrible while Robyn kept lookout.</p><p>Clover couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous. His daydreams had steadily morphed into nightmares, where Qrow took one look at him and laughed, or scoffed, or ran away. It was...weird. He was a good looking, reasonably skilled merman, so he was never one to feel insecure. Then again, he thought he was never one to fall in love, and look where that got him. </p><p>Of course, there was also the fact that Qrow was looking for him. </p><p>Did that mean he wanted to formally meet him?</p><p>To know him further?</p><p>To...talk to him?</p><p>He desperately wanted to communicate with Qrow. He wanted to know all the prince was willing to tell him, and he wanted to give his everything in return. But would Qrow even want that? What would the prince enjoy other than a lovely conversation?</p><p>...Tyrian <em>did</em> said something about using his mouth in better ways.</p><p>
  <em>“Arf! Arf!”</em>
</p><p>Clover’s head snapped up to meet a rapidly growing blur of grey, black and white fur. It took a second for him to realise it was beelining straight towards him. </p><p>Qrow’s dog. </p><p>“Scatter!” Robyn yelled, jumping back into the water with Winter not far behind. </p><p>Fear was a surprisingly good motivator. Fuelled by adrenaline, Clover got on his feet and ran perfectly well, which was helpful when he was chased away by the yapping corgi. </p><p>“Bye, Clover! Good luck! I’ll meet you back at the castle!!” Penny yelled encouragingly, waving as he sped away.</p><p>Clover jumped on top of a rock to escape the dog, still clinging to his makeshift clothes. He waved his arms around to try and to shoo him away, but the corgi wasn’t going to leave any time soon.</p><p>“Zwei! Come on, where are you going?” A voice called out. </p><p>A chill went down Clover’s spine at the sound of the familiar, raspy baritone. Zwei kept barking until a man came round the corner, at which he dashed towards him and dragged him forward by the hem of his pants.</p><p>Scruffy grey hair came into view, and he really started to panic. Crap! He wasn’t ready yet. He could still barely walk, he hadn’t even figure out how to communicate-</p><p>“Hey, where are you...oh.”</p><p>It was Qrow. </p><p>Clover nervously combed his hair back with his hand. His stomach was full of knots as they stared at each other. Silently praying Qrow would recognise him, he gave him an awkward smile that put his usual cocky grins to shame. His world had stopped yet again, losing him forever in this single moment.</p><p>Meanwhile, Qrow was trying to figure out who the other man was. Specifically, whether or not he was wearing any other clothes under the sail that was loosely draped around him.</p><p>“Hello, sir. Uh...are you okay?” he asked, walking closer, “I swear, I don’t know what’s going on with Zwei these days. He’s been acting kind of cra-”</p><p>Clover leaned forward, and he could almost see Qrow’s train of thought go off the rails. The prince seemed to be a whole different person, now that he was conscious and directly speaking to him. </p><p>“Uhh….”</p><p>Clover wasn’t sure what was going on inside his head, but it seemed promising. His concerned expression turned to confusion, and the ex-merman hoped for the best.</p><p>
  <em>Please...</em>
</p><p>“...you remind me of someone.” </p><p>Clover nodded, gesturing for Qrow to elaborate. He slowly stepped forward, before taking him in his arms. </p><p>Qrow studied his face, trying to make sure he wasn’t mistaken.</p><p>“Were you the one who rescued me?”</p><p>Yes. Yes, yes, YES. He wanted to scream it to everyone who lived on the surface world. Clover nodded again, his grin almost starting to hurt.</p><p>Qrow looked away for a split second, almost skeptical of what he saw, before returning back to him.</p><p>“Hah...I can’t believe it. I found you. I DID IT!” Qrow yelled, lifting Clover and spinning him around. </p><p>They were giddy with joy, nearly falling over as Qrow stumbled over his feet. Clover was filled with an unabashed sense of pride. So, Tyrian said this was going to be hard? Jokes on him, Qrow was actually smart.</p><p>They looked into each other’s eyes, holding each other close. </p><p>“You’re the one I’ve been looking for. What’s your name?”</p><p>
  <em>Clover.</em>
</p><p>He moved his lips, but the word was stuck in his throat. Clover grabbed his throat and winced. Of course.</p><p>“Huh. You can’t speak?” Qrow questioned. Clover slowly nodded his head. </p><p>Qrow’s happiness melted away, making way for bitter disappointment.</p><p>“...then you can’t be him.” he muttered, pulling away. </p><p>Clover leaned forward, chasing after Qrow’s touch. All the prince did was chuckle miserably.</p><p> “You know, you really had me there for a second. Oz was right, I am an idiot.”</p><p>Shit, shit, <em>SHIT.</em></p><p>Qrow turned to leave, but Clover grabbed his shoulder and he spun back around. No!</p><p>Using his hands, Clover tried (and failed) to mime what he wanted to say. <em>“I did save you. I sold my voice to a wizard so I could see you again, which doesn’t make any sense but that doesn’t matter and now I can’t even tell you I love-” </em></p><p>He frantically waved his arms as his legs gave in and he toppled to the sand. </p><p>“Whoa, watch it!” Qrow yelped, barely catching Clover with the help of his sharp reflexes.</p><p>They lingered for a second too long in each other’s arms once Qrow had brought Clover to his feet. </p><p>“What happened to you?” Qrow asked, looking down at the other man’s clothes. </p><p>Clover could do nothing but shoot him a pleading look and silently curse the deal he had made. Qrow probably thought his miming was just the nonsensical flailing of a traumatised shipwreck victim.</p><p>Gods, he had already thought of <em>three</em> pick up lines, and he couldn’t say any of them. Something something “fall for you”, something something “lucky catch”. His best material was going to waste.</p><p>The prince’s grip on Clover tightened as he looked him in the eyes again before looping his arm over his shoulder to keep him steady.</p><p>“Hold on, I’m gonna get you some help.”</p><p>As the two started to stumble towards the castle, the merman caught sight of two familiar pairs of eyes. Had Robyn and Winter watched the whole thing? He gave the exasperated mermaids an embarrassed shrug. </p><p>He looked back up at the sky, and the fluffy white clouds that decorated it. Alright, he still had three days. He just had to get Qrow to both recognise and kiss him, and everyone would be happy (minus Tyrian and Ironwood). How hard could it be?</p><p>"-sHIT!"</p><p>Qrow slipped on nothing, and both of them landed face first in the sand.</p><p>… it was best for him to not question it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Aaah, I love writing bi disasters.</p><p>Thanks for reading! Kudos/comments/generally existing ALL appreciated.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Cordially Invited</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The royal family greet their new guest. Ironwood finally gains some self-awareness.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Aaaagh this chapter took forever,,,,how the heck do you write dialogue??</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Penny working as a castle servant came with its pros and cons. </p>
<p>For one thing, she was a familiar face, which was more than welcome in the disorientating new environment Clover had entered. If she weren't there to take him off of Qrow's hands the second they stumbled through the gilded doors, he probably wouldn't have survived another second. It also meant that she could give him information without looking suspicious, which again was very welcome.</p>
<p>Still, she was only a <em>servant.</em> That meant she couldn't follow him into private events, such as the dinner with Qrow's family he had been invited to.</p>
<p>“And remember, Prince Branwen isn't very fond of royal formalities.” Penny advised, adjusting Clover’s tie, “If you want to be his friend, treat him like one.”</p>
<p>The ex-merman nodded with understanding, nervously fidgeting with his sleeves. After a very awkward bath and a rummage through the castle’s spare wardrobes, he now stood outside the dining hall dressed in a forest green suit. </p>
<p>This was his first time wearing clothes, and while he wouldn’t say the sensation of fabric against his newly dry skin was uncomfortable, his arms felt a bit restricted by the ornate sleeves. Still, it was a small price to pay to look this damn <em>good.</em></p>
<p>Penny bounced over to the door, beaming with excitement.</p>
<p>“Are you ready?” Penny asked, hand lingering over the handle. </p>
<p>Clover shook his head, but she pushed the door open anyway. </p>
<p>To the right of the elaborate dining room, Qrow leaned against the window. His gaze was fixated on the beach, and the waves lapping against the empty shore. Clover wondered if he was thinking of him, and that fateful morning when they met.</p>
<p>“Prince Branwen!” </p>
<p>Qrow looked up at the sound of Penny’s voice, and his expression noticeably softened when he saw Clover. The former merman took a deep breath before walking to the dazzled prince, silently trying not to keel over on the spot.</p>
<p>“Uh...you look good.” Qrow coughed, hand moving to habitually cup the back of his neck. Clover smirked and gave him an overly dramatic bow, eliciting a stifled chuckle from the prince.</p>
<p>“Whoa…you were right, he <em>is</em> hot!” a voice yelled bluntly, drawing his attention towards the dining table. Qrow scoffed, a noticeable flush rising on his face as he fumbled towards his seat.</p>
<p>As well as Ozpin, four teenage girls sat around the table. On a second glance, he could recognise all four of them from the night of the shipwreck. The plucky pastry-eater, the energetic blonde, the blonde’s raven-haired girlfriend and-</p>
<p>...crap. <em>Weiss Schnee.</em></p>
<p>The last remaining seat was between Qrow and the former heiress. He awkwardly waved to her as he sat down, and she responded with a tempered smile. </p>
<p>As friendly as she seemed, Clover could see the thinly veiled homicidal intent behind her eyes. It was incredible how much she reminded him of her sister.</p>
<p>“Now, shall I introduce you four to our guest?” Ozpin asked.</p>
<p>“We can do it, Oz.” the red-clad girl announced, turning to Clover and waving enthusiastically. “I’m Ruby, Uncle Qrow’s niece!”</p>
<p>“Hey stranger! Name’s Yang.” the blonde next to her greeted him with a click of her tongue and finger guns, “I’m his other niece.”</p>
<p>“Blake Belladonna.” the third girl said, acknowledging him with a slight nod.</p>
<p>“Weiss <em>Sieben.</em> It’s a pleasure to meet you.” the heiress declared, her polite smile never wavering.</p>
<p><em>Sieben?</em> It looked like Weiss had taken the first opportunity to drop any connections to her Atlantic family. Honestly, Clover couldn’t blame her.</p>
<p>Dinner was served not long after by a plethora of butlers. As the trays were uncovered and the tableware was set, Clover steadily became more and more conflicted. On one hand, he was more than grateful that it was seafood. On the other hand...Penny never mentioned there would be twenty different forks and utensils to eat it with.</p>
<p>Okay, he knew what a fork was. But would he use that? He didn’t want to stab it, it was already dead. What about the knife? Why the fuck were there <em>five</em> different knives?? Maybe he should use the...round thing instead. The <em>SPOON!</em> Maybe he should use the spoon.</p>
<p>As he reached towards the nearest spoon, he was interrupted by a harsh kick from under the table. He let out an inaudible yelp before sending a pointed glare to Weiss, the culprit. She sighed and subtly gestured towards the forks on his left.</p>
<p>He proceeded to pick literally every wrong fork, Weiss responding with a swift kick every time. Finally, Clover picked up the middle fork and she gave him a thumbs up.</p>
<p>As everyone finally started to eat, the royal family casually chatted amongst themselves. A few topics of conversation did catch Clover’s interest; Ozpin’s adopted son, Oscar, celebrating his fifteenth birthday, Ruby’s group of friends winning a food fight that also destroyed several rooms in the castle, The king of Vale offering his hand in marriage to Qrow-</p>
<p>Wait, <em>what?? </em></p>
<p>“It’s been a week since he made the proposal, your highness. He needs an answer.” Ozpin said, putting his cutlery down. </p>
<p>While the rest of the girls curiously whispered amongst themselves, Clover discreetly tried not to choke on his food.</p>
<p>“What do you think it’s gonna be?” Qrow drawled, “It’s another no.” </p>
<p>“Oh, Qrow. You can’t just decline every suitor who asks for your hand.” Ozpin sighed.</p>
<p>“Uhhh...yes I can. Last time I checked it was <em>my</em> hand.” Qrow sighed raspily, leaning back in his chair. “Besides, I told you I’ve already chosen a suitor.”</p>
<p>Yang groaned, “Right. You mean the hot guy from the beach who saved your life and <em>totally</em> exists?”</p>
<p>“Yes, he <em>does totally</em> exist, thanks for clearing it up.” the prince responded, smirking, “And yes, when I find him I’m going to ask him to marry me.”</p>
<p>Clover’s heart jumped into his throat. They could have been married by now, had Tyrian not taken his voice. </p>
<p>
  <em>Gods fucking damn it.</em>
</p>
<p>“Don’t worry Uncle Qrow, we’ll find him. You can count on us!” Ruby reassured him through a mouthful of crab. </p>
<p>“I mean, he couldn’t go far. It’s only been two weeks.” Blake reasoned. “And Mistral might not be a small town, but we know our way around. For all we know he could be right under our noses.”</p>
<p>Clover nearly bit a hole through his tongue as he tried to quell his building frustration.</p>
<p>“You know, finding him would be a lot easier if you remembered what he looked like.” Weiss added, scowling.</p>
<p>Qrow’s gaze flickered over to Clover., and he chuckled nervously when he accidentally made eye contact. </p>
<p>“Hah...It’s a funny story.” he needlessly explained, “A little while ago a ship I was on crashed. Someone saved me, but they disappeared before I fully woke up. Then when I found you I….mistook you for my rescuer. I have to apologise for that.”</p>
<p>Clover gave the prince a comforting smile. Internally, <em>he screamed.</em></p>
<p>“Speaking of which, tell us about yourself!” Yang announced, grabbing Clover’s attention, “What’s your name? Where did you come from?”</p>
<p>Ruby laughed uncomfortably, before quickly grabbing Yang and whispering in her ear. Her eyes grew wide at her sister’s words, and she pulled away to face him.</p>
<p>“Uh...sorry!” Yang choked out, “Thought you were just shy.”</p>
<p>An awkward grin slowly spread on her face, before she pointed her finger guns again.</p>
<p>“I guess that’s...more than <em>you can say."</em></p>
<p>Ozpin abruptly coughed, putting his glass down to avoid suffocating.</p>
<p><em>“Yang!”</em> Ruby half-whispered in horror.</p>
<p>A second passed. Then another. Then Clover burst into silent laughter.</p>
<p>Slowly the table dissolved into giggling. Weiss rolled her eyes, while Qrow covered his mouth to muffle his snickering. In the end, even Ozpin couldn’t help a small chuckle.</p>
<p>“So...do you know sign language or anything?” Blake asked, “It’s kind of weird that you have to just sit there and listen to us.” </p>
<p>At this point, Clover would have taken any form of communication he could get. Still, he had to shake his head. </p>
<p>“Don’t worry, there’s got to be something else. How about Morse code?” Ruby offered.</p>
<p>“No one here knows Morse code, Ruby.” Weiss huffed.</p>
<p>“Wh-I-I’m trying, okay?” she spluttered, face flushing to match her sister’s.</p>
<p>Clover chuckled as the two started to bicker, Blake opting to sip her tea in silence. As much as he wanted to add to the conversation, he couldn’t say he hated just listening to the royals talk to each other. </p>
<p>Apart from light teasing and occasional banter, his team of Ace Ops back in Atlantis barely talked at all outside of work. But watching this group of teens chat and laugh, just happy to be around each other, filled him with unexplainable joy. It made him want to stay all the more.</p>
<p>“You’re not from around here, huh?” Qrow said to Clover, struggling to not interrupt the girls.</p>
<p>...well, that was one way of putting it. The ex-merman nodded.   </p>
<p><em>In other words he could say he was a...fish out of water.</em> Clover bit the inside of his cheek, trying not to break into inaudible screaming.</p>
<p>Qrow’s finger traced the rim of his empty glass, “Thought so. I mean, I doubt whatever ship you were on was local, otherwise Oz would have known about it.”</p>
<p>“Well, if he’s from overseas he’s yet to discover the wonders of Mistral. We have some visitors from Kuroyuri arriving tomorrow, and the princesses are taking them on a kingdom tour. Perhaps you could go with them.” Ozpin suggested.</p>
<p>Qrow shrugged, turning to Clover, “What do you say? We can see the sights, check out some stores, whatever you’d like. It’d be nice to have some adult company.”</p>
<p>What else could he say? The golden opportunity to traverse the buildings and streets with the royal family, and bond with Qrow in the process? He nodded eagerly, accepting the offer. </p>
<p>The prince chuckled, “It’s settled then. I guess we’ll see you tomorrow morning.”</p>
<p>As he finished his sentence, a rare smile lingered on Qrow’s face. It was small, but it was genuine, and it didn’t leave his face for the rest of the night.</p>
<p>----</p>
<p>
  <em>Swish!</em><br/>
<em>Crack!</em><br/>
<em>Thwk!</em>
</p>
<p>Clover watched from the window as Qrow sparred with his niece.  Block, block, attack. Swing, punch, kick. They circled each other like wolves before charging, swinging their fists or ducking an oncoming attack. After a few moments Qrow faked a left swing before kicking Ruby in the ribs, making her land flat on her back and winning him the match. </p>
<p>Chuckling, Qrow cockily cracking his knuckles as his niece sat back up. His gaze wandered, and he, once again, accidentally made eye contact with his one-man audience. Suddenly vulnerable after being spotted, Clover managed to give the prince an awkward wave and a smile.</p>
<p>Qrow gave him a lopsided smirk of his own, and he waved back. Ruby’s blank expression split into a grin at the exchange, and she quickly said something to her uncle. Clover was too far away to hear her words, but whatever it was turned Qrow a violent shade of red. He whipped around and spluttered a compilation of flustered, inaudible comebacks, his niece giggling the whole time.</p>
<p>“So, may I assume the dinner went well?” </p>
<p>Penny stood in the doorway, watching him earnestly. Clover nodded for what felt like the twentieth time as he stood up and stretched.</p>
<p>Everything was just...really <em>nice.</em> He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so content, so excited to go to sleep if only to wake up in the morning to a whole new world. Despite only being here for a day, the thought of leaving already filled him with dread.</p>
<p>“Sensational! Now you’re acquainted with Prince Branwen, all you have to do is kiss him. I have come up with a list of the top fifteen most romantic spots in town, which would optimise your chance of success.”</p>
<p>He could do that. Oh, he was <em>sincerely</em> looking forward to that. But first...</p>
<p>Clover flopped into his bed, burying himself in the embroidered sheets. His eyes slipped shut as Penny continued, her voice became more distant with every second</p>
<p>“Now, tomorrow I will be accompanying you on the tour with my friends. In the morning I’ll have to inform<em>…our plan…voice….very important…  .. .”</em></p>
<p>By the time Penny finished explaining, Clover had already fallen asleep.</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>Destroying the cavern was the right thing to do.</p>
<p>Or that’s what Ironwood kept telling himself.</p>
<p>The kingdom depended on him, as their king, to keep them safe. It was an iron rule, carved into him the second the crown was placed on his head. He had sacrificed so much for the sake of his people, and they had thrived exponentially as a result. Atlantis was peaceful at last, and he would do whatever it took to keep things that way.</p>
<p>So...why did he feel so terrible?</p>
<p>For some reason, the reassuring words only fueled the pooling uneasiness in his gut. Clover’s pained expression would flash through his thoughts, and he’d get sick to the stomach until he forced the image out of his mind. He could only hope his friend would forgive him, or at the very least understand why he had to...destroy the only thing that made him happy.</p>
<p>To make matters worse, he hadn’t seen Winter for the entire day. She was a grounding force during Ironwood’s meetings, helping him swim back and think before he made any rash decisions. Was she simply going on with her duties, completely unfazed? Again, Ironwood could only hope.</p>
<p>“Sir?” a voice asked nervously. The king looked up at Marrow and Harriet, headache slowly getting worse.</p>
<p>“What is it?” he grumbled. </p>
<p>The younger ace-operative fidgeted with his hands, trying to look Ironwood in the eyes, “Did you send Clover off on a solo mission?”</p>
<p>Ironwood sighed. He didn’t have time for these pointless questions.</p>
<p>“I thought I told you I took that privilege away from him.” the tone of Ironwood’s voice made Marrow visibly shudder.</p>
<p>“Well...if that’s the case...” he paused for a second, looking away in fear. Harriet rolled her eyes, finishing his sentence for him. </p>
<p>“Sir, Clover’s gone missing.”</p>
<p>...what?</p>
<p>“What?” </p>
<p>Ironwood could feel the colour drain from his face. Still, he tried to keep a level head to avoid raising concern.</p>
<p>“It’s nothing to be worried about. He’s probably off on his own again.” he reasoned, gaze wandering. The two ace-operatives shared an uneasy glance.</p>
<p>“Not this time. He’s <em>never</em> been gone for this long. Usually he at least gives us an excuse to where he’s going.” Marrow murmured.</p>
<p>“And with Winter suddenly not watching our every move to make sure we’re on track, it just seems weird.” Harriet reasoned, “It’s too much of a coincidence.”</p>
<p>His eyes weren't deceiving him, it seemed that Winter was actually <em>gone.</em> Clover was no stranger to disappearing unnoticed, but Winter would have to be PAID to take a day off. Harriet was right, it was too much of a coincidence-</p>
<p>It finally dawned on him. </p>
<p>The cavern.</p>
<p>Oh gods, <em>it was all his fault.</em></p>
<p>“Sir? What do you want us to do?” Marrow asked, snapping Ironwood back to reality.</p>
<p>“...Send out a search party for them both. As many merpeople as possible. Leave no shell unturned until their whereabouts are known.” he commanded.</p>
<p>Harriet nodded solemnly, before dashing back out the door. Marrow opened his mouth to ask one more question, but a sharp call of his name from the other ace-operative made him swim out after her.</p>
<p>Where could they have gone? Best case scenario; Ironwood’s lecture hadn’t fazed Clover, and he was slacking off as Winter chastised him. Maybe they had banded together through their pain, abandoning him and the kingdom in pursuit of their own happiness. </p>
<p>Or...maybe they had sought out Tyrian’s help, and they were already dead. </p>
<p>The king buried his face in his hands, guilt swallowing him whole.</p>
<p>
  <em>What had he done?</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The next update is already half-written, so hopefully it won't take as long as this one.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading! Kudos/comments/generally existing ALL appreciated.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. This Life Is Mine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Winter opens up about her missing sister, who tries to murder Clover in his sleep.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>“The next update is already half-written, so hopefully it won't take as long as this one.”</p>
<p>So that was a fcking lie. Tbh I didn’t like what I had written for this chapter so I rewrote most of it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had officially been 24 hours since Clover had made the deal with Tyrian, 19 hours since Winter decided to abandon the king’s guard, and 7 hours since the entire kingdom was thrown into madness.</p>
<p>Armoured soldiers were crawling all over Atlantis, searching for the missing special operatives. Since there was nowhere left for Winter to go after she had bailed, Robyn had graciously offered the Merry Mermaids’ hideout as a temporary safe-house. </p>
<p>Sure, it was comfy, but there were two main problems: Winter’s growing anxiety poking into her thoughts...and Fiona and Robyn’s incessant mushiness getting on her nerves.</p>
<p>“If I knew that leaving the ocean would get Jimmy’s attention so quickly, I would have done it ages ago,” Robyn announced jokingly, leaning against Fiona’s shoulder.</p>
<p>“Aww...you’d leave me to make him mad~?” Fiona teased, burying her face in her girlfriend’s neck.</p>
<p>“Of course not. I’d bring you. Joanna and May too. Then we could all flip Ironwood off as we rode into the sunset on a giant horse.”</p>
<p>Fiona blinked. “...What’s a horse?”</p>
<p>Ugh, feelings. </p>
<p>“Would you prefer I left the room?” Winter asked, making no attempt to hide the dryness of her tone.</p>
<p>“Hey, <em>you</em> signed up for this,” Robyn retorted, looking up. “Would <em>you</em> prefer to go back to the king and get us all killed for treason?”</p>
<p>“You two have made out in front of me enough times for me to consider it.”</p>
<p>Scowling, Robyn pulled Fiona in for a long smooch, making sure the unimpressed special operative got a front row seat. </p>
<p>“I’m going to check on Clover,” Winter murmured, pulling a pale blue conch shell off of her belt. </p>
<p>“How?” Robyn asked, pulling away, “Last time I checked, he couldn’t exactly talk to anyone.”</p>
<p>“I’m not going to speak to him. I’m calling Penny.” Winter’s gaze wandered, “I gave her a conch a few months after we met to establish a means of constant communication.”</p>
<p>“Aww, Ice Queen! I didn’t know you were such a softie-”</p>
<p>“PENNY,” Winter talked over Robyn’s teasing, “Are you there?”</p>
<p>“Oh, hello Winter!” Penny's cheerful voice rang through the shell’s opening almost immediately, “And how are you going?”</p>
<p>“Doesn’t matter,” Winter deflected, leaving the room to escape the other mermaids, “Give me an update on Clover’s relationship with the prince.”</p>
<p>“Well, they <em>did</em> just meet, so they haven’t kissed. However, Prince Branwen is warming up to him extraordinarily quickly. He is taking Clover on a tour of the town tomorrow, along with my friends. It’s more than 80 percent likely the kiss will happen at some point then, but I will be there to make sure it goes smoothly.”</p>
<p>“Thank goodness,” Winter murmured, slumping against the wall behind her, “Is there any way we can help?”</p>
<p>“Actually, yes! There’s a lake in town that’s connected to the ocean. If they decide to take a boat ride, it would be the perfect opportunity for you two to help move things along.”</p>
<p>“Excellent. I’ll inform Robyn later.”</p>
<p>A moment passed in silence. If it were any other person, Winter would have left the conversation there. In her opinion, there was no point in dragging on a discussion after she obtained the information she needed.</p>
<p>But she...wanted to know Penny’s status to determine whether or not she would actually be useful. After all, there was no point in her helping if she wasn’t in optimal condition.</p>
<p>It wasn’t because she <em>missed</em> her. Now, that would be ridiculous.</p>
<p>“...how have you been?” </p>
<p>Penny’s voice returned, significantly more cheerful, “Oh, everything had been wonderful! I had a conversation with Ruby, and she told me what she knew about merpeople. Could you believe she thinks you eat humans?”</p>
<p>“Considering the things you’ve told me regarding her, yes. I could.”</p>
<p>Penny continued to ramble on about various menial events, from finding a suitable outfit for Clover to swapping book recommendations with Blake. Winter didn’t mind. She was more than happy to listen.</p>
<p>That is, until she brought up Weiss.</p>
<p>“-Then your sister tried to teach me fencing, but when I tried to parry her attack the foil flew out of my hand and made a hole in the side of the castle. We got into so much trouble, but she told me my form was excellent.”</p>
<p>Well, that certainly sounded like her sister.</p>
<p>“How is she?” Winter hesitantly asked.</p>
<p>“She’s great! You’ll be happy to hear she’s fully immersed in her anthropology studies and is currently learning to hoist the sails of a ship. She’s also eating three meals a day and getting an optimal amount of sleep every night. You have nothing to worry about.”</p>
<p>A fleeting pang of jealousy bloomed in her gut, but Winter bit her tongue and it subsided. What mattered was that her sister was okay, and that everything was going according to plan.</p>
<p>“Thank you, Penny,” she responded curtly, “Give us an update tomorrow.”</p>
<p>Penny didn’t respond, and Winter knew she had already left. She was alone again.</p>
<p>“I don’t understand you, Ice Queen.”</p>
<p>Well, that was fast.</p>
<p>Winter turned to Robyn and Fiona, who were lurking in the hallway.</p>
<p>“Care to elaborate?” she deadpanned, lowering the shell from her ear.</p>
<p>“You put on this whole show about hating humans, yet you’ve been talking to Penny for longer than Clover and I have known her,” Robyn mused, “You’re softer than you look.”</p>
<p>“With every insult I get one inch closer to murdering you.”</p>
<p>“Who said I was insulting you?”</p>
<p>Looking back, her first encounter with Penny wasn’t a moment she was particularly fond of. One late night, Winter swam too close to the docks and got tangled in some stray fishing nets. She would have suffocated to death, had the human not spotted her and cannonballed into the ocean to cut her free.</p>
<p>It would have been easy to kill Penny. A swipe of her nails or a flick of her sword, and the human’s blood would have stained the water a brilliant red.</p>
<p>She didn’t. And to this day she still hadn’t decided whether or not that was a mistake.</p>
<p>“What point are you trying to make?” Winter grumbled.</p>
<p>“Well, we’ll have to get along if we’re going to help Clover. But to do that, I’m going to have to start seeing you as anything but Ironwood’s henchwoman.”</p>
<p>Robyn swam up to Winter’s side, casually leaning against the rocks.</p>
<p>“So, tell us about yourself.”</p>
<p>Ah. This was a royally stupid idea, even if it did have some form of merit. Winter looked back at the two mermaids, fully prepared to decline, but they earnestly looked back at her with wide eyes and curious smirks.</p>
<p>Oh well. What harm could it do?</p>
<p>Winter exhaled, “I’m a special operative who personally works for his Majesty King Ironwood. I studied at the academy for-”</p>
<p>“Nope,” Robyn cut her off, “You’re still telling me about <em>Specialist Schnee,</em> not <em>Winter.”</em></p>
<p>Winter’s eye twitched, but she begrudgingly continued, “<em>Fine.</em> I come from a disgusting family. My mother is a coward, my father is a sleazy politician and my brother is shaping up to be just like him.”</p>
<p>“And...your sister?” Fiona chimed in.</p>
<p>“...”</p>
<p>Robyn and Fiona’s faces had morphed into a shared, unreadable expression. What was it? Pity? Sympathy?</p>
<p>“Rumours travel fast. A runaway heiress, slaughtered in the dead of the night...that’s not something anyone should have to go through,” Robyn placed her hand on Winter’s shoulder, “We’re sorry.”</p>
<p>Oh. That was a whole other can of worms she didn’t even think of opening. But at this point, any more lying would have taken more effort than it was worth.</p>
<p>“Don’t be,” Winter murmured, managing a half-hearted smile. “She’s not dead. She disappeared because she turned herself into a human and left the ocean.”</p>
<p>The can had been opened. Robyn blinked, while Fiona’s eyes widened in shock. </p>
<p>Winter continued, “Five years ago, my sister went through a similar phase to Clover. Our father found out, and they got into a fight. Then she tried to strike a deal with Tyrian, but she backed out when she realised she was playing a losing game.” </p>
<p>That <em>still</em> ticked her off. Somehow, her sister had more sense in her than <em>Clover fucking Ebi,</em> leader of Ironwood’s handpicked ace-operatives.</p>
<p>“The king’s staff went missing a few days afterwards, and when we found it Weiss had disappeared in its place. They found the staff near the shore, which made sense when they found her dancing on a ship with her human friends a week later.”</p>
<p>Through her explanation, her hands had slowly curled into fists. “Her...<em>death,</em> was fabricated in order to explain her absence. This way no one can be inspired to follow in her footsteps.”</p>
<p>“Didn’t stop a certain Ace-Op though,” Robyn off-handedly remarked, making Fiona giggle. Winter rolled her eyes at the reminder.</p>
<p>She had to admit, Weiss looked more alive on land than she ever did under the sea. And Clover, when in Qrow’s arms, was wholly different to the cocky, overconfident mask she had grown to know. They had made reckless decisions, but they didn’t seem to regret it. In fact, they were <em>happy.</em> Sometimes, Winter wondered what it was like to be that happy.</p>
<p>The atmosphere was so tense between the three mermaids, it was slightly jarring when Fiona finally spoke up.</p>
<p>“Wait...Weiss is living in the castle?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” Winter confirmed.</p>
<p>“And Clover is also staying in the castle.”</p>
<p>“...yes?”</p>
<p>“And <em>neither</em> of you thought Weiss might run into Clover and come to the reasonable conclusion that he’s there to capture her and bring her back to Atlantis? <em>And</em> Clover can’t explain himself because he has no voice?”</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>“...I’ll call Penny again.”</p>
<p>------</p>
<p>In Clover’s defence, he was still getting used to walking. He also didn’t know a lot about the castle’s layout, so his guard was down. Also the sun had barely risen, so his reflexes were dulled by the lack of sleep. Anyone would have been off their game in his shoes.</p>
<p>Yeah, that was his excuse for his current position; lying on his bedroom floor, staring up at Weiss Schnee as she held a rapier to his throat.</p>
<p>“I know why you’re here, <em>Ebi,</em> and I’m not leaving without a fight,” Weiss tightened her grip on the handle, “And you can show my father a fun place for him to shove his cane if he expects me to miss him.”</p>
<p>Clover tried to move backwards, but he froze when Weiss pressed the blade against his neck.</p>
<p>“Ironwood must have run out of borders to check, if he’s sending you to bring me back,” she spat, “Did you bring the others?"</p>
<p>He opened his mouth to speak…</p>
<p>sHIT!</p>
<p>His gaze darted around the room, looking for something he could use to defend himself. Maybe if he grabbed his pillow, he could throw it at her face before making a run for it. No, the heiress would probably slit his throat if he raised a finger.</p>
<p>He had to stay calm. Maybe she would understand if-</p>
<p>“Not going to tell me anything? Fine.”</p>
<p>She stabbed the floor, barely missing Clover’s head. </p>
<p>
  <em>“I’ll make you talk.”</em>
</p>
<p>Lovely. He was about to be murdered by a teenage girl.</p>
<p>“Good morning, Clover! Salutations, Weiss!” </p>
<p>Penny burst through the doorway, a bright green conch shell clenched in her right hand. Somehow she didn’t seem at all fazed at the position either of them were in. </p>
<p>Thank fuck. Clover let out a very long, needed breath, his head hitting the floor beneath him. </p>
<p>Weiss leapt to Penny’s side, shielding her from Clover with her rapier. </p>
<p>“Penny, get back! You may not know him, but Captain Ebi is one of King Ironwood’s special operatives. He’s highly skilled and dangerous, but I won’t let him hurt you.”</p>
<p>Penny’s gaze darted back to Clover, who was lying on the floor and making no attempt to get back up.</p>
<p>“There’s been a misunderstanding.”</p>
<p>Weiss blinked, turning back to her. “What?”</p>
<p>“I can assure you Clover did not come here under King Ironwood’s orders, nor did he come here to harm you or anyone here.” Penny said, gingerly pushing Weiss’ blade away.</p>
<p>The heiress scoffed, “That doesn’t make any sense, why else would he...how do you know that?”</p>
<p>“We’re friends! We’ve been friends for a while.” Penny declared, giving Clover an enthusiastic thumbs up.</p>
<p>Instead of answering, Weiss shot Clover a baffled glance, begging for an explanation. He sat up to face her, pointing to himself before putting a finger to his lips. When Weiss’ puzzled expression didn’t leave her face, he sighed and turned to Penny for help.</p>
<p>“He’s lost his ability to speak. He had to trade his voice to become a human.” she explained.</p>
<p>Penny’s words set off a lightbulb in Weiss’ head. </p>
<p>“...you made a deal with <em>Tyrian?”</em> she cried, whipping around to face Clover. He nodded, grateful she had finally figured it out.</p>
<p>“And you knew, and didn’t tell me?” Weiss spluttered, looking back to Penny, “A warning would have been nice.”</p>
<p>“Well, yesterday I decided to tell you tomorrow morning, which is today! So technically speaking, I did tell you at the time I decided was optimal. Which brings me to my point; will you assist me in helping him kiss Prince Branwen during the tour today?”</p>
<p>
  <em>“...what??”</em>
</p>
<p>Penny proceeded to tell her everything that had led up to this moment, from their initial friendship to Qrow’s rescue, and the eventual wager with the sorcerer. She revealed the rules of the deal she had learnt from Robyn and Winter, and the conditions it would take to make the spell permanent.</p>
<p>“-Then I brought him to the castle and here we are! He has two more days before the spell wears off.”</p>
<p>“...And you need me to set up my sister’s coworker with my friend’s uncle so he doesn’t turn into stone.” Weiss deadpanned.</p>
<p>“Correct!”</p>
<p>Weiss sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Clover had to admit, it was as weird as it sounded. </p>
<p>“So you’re not here to take me back to Atlantis,” Weiss finally dropped her rapier, flexing her fingers “No wonder you didn’t say anything during dinner last night. I thought you were trying to make me lose it on <em>purpose.</em> You may be Ironwood’s lapdog, but there was no way I was going to let you try using a soup spoon on a crab.”</p>
<p>Clover snorted, turning away from the heiress as she continued. Maybe he should have done some research before making the deal.<br/>
“Does that mean you’re in?” Penny asked hopefully.</p>
<p>Weiss hesitated, “I still don’t see how my help would be useful.”</p>
<p>“You’re the only one who can help. I was here to assist you when you first left the ocean, and I’ll always lend you a hand when you wish. But right now I would greatly appreciate it if you helped me.”</p>
<p>Penny gave the heiress a smile so sincere, she visibly melted. It was suddenly clear why she was so close to both Schnee sisters. Who could say no to a face like that?</p>
<p>“Please?”</p>
<p>“...okay.”</p>
<p>She tackled Weiss in a hug.</p>
<p>“Sensational! Don’t worry Clover, you can count on the TWO of us now.” Penny announced, beaming.</p>
<p>Weiss gave her a rare smile of her own, reluctantly returning the embrace, before the ginger shot up in realisation.</p>
<p>“Ooh! I forgot to get your clothes! Be right back.”</p>
<p>As Penny bounced out the door, Weiss’ smile remained until she was out of sight. It faded as soon as she was alone with Clover, and she turned to him with contempt. He hadn’t moved since he sat up.</p>
<p>“I put this off until Penny was gone, because I didn’t want to upset her. I still don’t trust you.”</p>
<p>Oh. Was she still going to kill him? He couldn’t imagine how she would explain herself. <em>“Penny, I closed my eyes and when I opened them, Clover was dead on the floor! I swear, I don’t know why my sword’s covered in blood or why he has a thousand tiny cuts on his body!”</em></p>
<p>Weiss’s gaze flickered to the wall, “But...I want to. So I’m going to do all I can to help you.”</p>
<p>..oh. That was surprisingly sweet. For a second he thought-</p>
<p>“But you should know that if you’re lying, or if you hurt Penny, Ruby or any of my friends, I’ll take great pleasure in killing you myself.”</p>
<p>And there it was. </p>
<p>Clover responded with a withering look, to which the ice queen huffed and strode up to his side.</p>
<p>“Deal?” Weiss offered her hand to pull him up. </p>
<p>He had doubts, but he took it. It was only the <em>second</em>-most sketchy deal he had made in the past week.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Definitely more of a filler/setup chapter, but I wanted to add some of that sweet sweet Weiss lore. Next update is going to be the date, and it's gonna be a long one!</p>
<p>Thanks for reading! Kudos/comments/generally existing ALL appreciated.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Getting Lucky</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Weiss is the ultimate wingman. Qrow visits an old friend. Clover sucks at dancing.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is the chapter where I answer questions! Is Summer in this? How the heck is Clover going to flirt? where’s the next chapter crafty it’s been a month where-</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Bustling streets, filled with people enjoying their daily lives.</p><p>Stores waking up from their long naps and opening their doors to hungry customers.</p><p>Towering buildings with roofs stretching towards a bright blue sky.</p><p>This was <em>heaven.</em></p><p>“First time in a town?” he asked, noticing Clover’s starstruck gaze. “It can be a bit overwhelming if you’ve never been before.”</p><p>Clover nodded in response for what felt like the twentieth time. Overwhelming was right, which was far from a bad thing. Atlantis was a pretty picture, but it was unbelievably dull. But this town, with all of lively wonder, was more incredible than anything he had seen below the surface. It was wild, colourful, and <em>perfect.</em></p><p>With one tiny complication.</p><p>“He’s not the only one who doesn’t know their way around,” a girl with bright red hair added, fidgeting with the chain on her circlet, “But I suppose that’s what the tour is for.”</p><p>“Don’t worry stranger, we won’t let you out of our sight,” Yang announced, slapping Clover hard on the back.</p><p>“Alright team, let’s go!” Ruby yelled, punching the air to the cheers of the other teens.</p><p>...oh boy.</p><p>Okay, okay, he loved the kids but fuck, <em>there were so many of them.</em> The entourage consisted of Penny, Weiss, the three other girls and the travellers from Kuroyuri. So that was <em>nine</em> teenagers that Qrow had to keep an eye on, and most of them had enough energy to power a small town.</p><p>Maybe the least appealing part was that it seemed like Qrow <em>wanted</em> to talk to him, but he kept getting interrupted. At one point, Qrow turned to him and opened his mouth to speak before he had to run to stop the redhead Nora from fighting with a less than polite store vendor. He had to admit, these kids had a tendency to get overly excited.</p><p>Then Penny took his attention off of the prince and actually started showing him around. Clover ended up eating his inaudible words, since he found himself just as engrossed in the town as the kids. </p><p>He drowned in the endless sea of new experiences, watching the townspeople and staring through shop windows. All the different contraptions Clover had collected were doubled, tripled in every store he had seen. Penny gladly explained every object, her enthusiasm repaid in kind. He felt like a kid again, back when the wonders of Atlantis used to fill him with the same unbridled joy. But the surface world, unlike Atlantis, was everything like he had hoped and so much more.</p><p>Gods, he could die happy.</p><p>“Isn’t it amazing? And this is only a fraction of the whole town! Next we have to show you the local bakery,” Penny beamed, arms full of shopping bags.</p><p>“This isn’t working,” Weiss huffed, striding up to Clover’s side with a hand on her hip, “It’s already midday and you’ve barely interacted with Qrow. You’re never going to kiss him at this rate.”</p><p>Clover blinked. He had completely forgotten there was a possibility he might actually <em>die</em> happy. It was a lot easier to enjoy himself when he wasn’t thinking about how his life was at stake. One day was already down, which meant he had to get a move on. Meaning; he had to ramp up his charm.</p><p>He already had an idea of the type of date he’d want to take Qrow on. A nice dinner, maybe by the beach. He’d him laugh or blush furiously, or slowly coax him into loosening up so he could see one of his rare smiles again. </p><p>More importantly, he wanted Qrow to <em>trust</em> him. A compliment or tease was rewarding enough, but for Qrow to be comfortable enough that he can let his walls down, and be vulnerable in return...that would be more precious than any amount of flirting. But something like that would take a lot more time than he had.</p><p>To make a long story short; he had no idea what he was doing.</p><p>“I doubt you’ll have any meaningful interaction with him if Ruby and our other friends take up all his time.” Penny inquired, gripping her chin in thought, “It seems you’ll have to separate from us. But how?”</p><p>Separating from the others without looking suspicious wouldn’t be an easy task, but it looked like Weiss was already formulating a plan.</p><p>Carefully, she scanned the other teens and why they were standing with. Yang and Blake were together as always, with Ruby unfortunately third-wheeling. Meanwhile, the young merchant from Kuroyuri, Ren, held onto Nora to keep her from blowing anything up. Awkwardly standing to the sidelines were the knight Pyrrha and...he wanted to say his name was Jim? Or <em>Juan?</em> The blonde boy, Pyrrha’s squire.</p><p>Clicked her fingers with a realisation, Weiss pulled Penny aside. As they whispered back and forth for a few seconds, Clover shot both of them a bewildered glance.</p><p>“We have a plan,” Weiss finally murmured, lowering her voice to address Clover, “Once I’ve finished explaining, grab him and run. And don’t bring him back until he kisses you.”</p><p>Clover blinked again, and she gave him a knowing smirk before casually making her way towards Qrow.</p><p>Weiss grabbed his attention and immediately struck up a conversation. The details were inaudible, but they looked like they were bickering. While Weiss retained her confident attitude, Qrow barrelled through nonchalance to confusion, before eventually sighing in defeat. </p><p>“Okay, settle down kids.” the prince called out, silencing the rest of the teens.</p><p>“What’s up, Uncle Qrow?” Ruby asked.</p><p>“Weiss thought it would be best for us to split up in order to cover the most ground. So we’ve put everyone in pairs.”</p><p>
  <em>...nice.</em>
</p><p>“Really? That seems kind of excessive,” Blake began unsurely, “Can’t we just-”</p><p>“Blake, you’re with Yang,” Weiss nonchalantly added.</p><p>“...great plan, Weiss!” Yang blurted out, giving her a thumbs up and grabbing Blake’s hand. </p><p>Blake opened her mouth to say something more, but one look at Yang’s obnoxiously eager face rendered her speechless. In the end all she managed was a loving eye roll as she accepted the plan.</p><p>Qrow continued, placing a hand on his hip, “To keep the Kuroyuri visitors in the same groups, Ren will be with Nora and Jaune with Pyrrha. But you four are free to keep together if you please.”</p><p>Ah, <em>Jaune.</em> Well, he got pretty close. </p><p>The idea of splitting up made Nora’s hyper-activeness kick into overdrive, and she gave Ren a shit-eating grin. Pyrrha and Jaune shared a flustered glance, one that the redhead held for a little longer than she was probably supposed to.</p><p>“Penny, Ruby, you’ll be coming with me. That leaves Prince Branwen with Clo-<em>our other guest.”</em> Weiss concluded, catching herself in the nick of time.</p><p>Ruby gasped, beaming at Penny.</p><p>“Any objections?” Qrow asked.</p><p>Weiss put on a proud smirk as the group stayed silent.</p><p>“Great! We’ll regroup at the castle at sunset, but if any of you don’t show up you’ll have to get back on your own-”</p><p>Ren yelped as Nora grabbed him by the collar and sped off.</p><p>“H-hey, wait up!” Jaune cried, running after them with Pyrrha hot on his heels. </p><p>Blake took Yang’s hand and the two disappeared down the street. Sighing, Weiss gave Qrow a respectful bow of her head before joining the remaining two girls.</p><p>Clover noticed as Ruby turned to lead them away, Penny kept looking at her in a way that was….suspiciously similar to how Yang and Blake looked at each other. Aww. Guess they really did rig it so <em>everyone</em> would be happy with the arrangement.</p><p>And now he was alone with Qrow.</p><p>He turned to the prince, who gave him a soft smile, “So, where would you like to go first?” </p><p>
  <em>I’d go anywhere with you.</em>
</p><p>...what he’d give to be able to flirt again.</p><p>-----</p><p>Whether or not he agreed, one thing about Clover was true; he was one stereotypical bastard.</p><p>As much as he had fallen in love with every part of the town, he kept being unintentionally drawn to items of the ocean. Maybe Qrow had picked that up from the sushi Clover had devoured, or how he spent a solid ten minutes staring at the fishing rods in the window of a tackle shop. He'd have to tell Robyn about them the next time he saw her, because they looked like they would be fantastic weapons.</p><p>“You sure do the sea,” Qrow mused off-handedly, “You ever wanted to be a sailor?”</p><p>Clover snickered. Oh, if only he knew.</p><p>As they continued down the street, they stopped outside a second store window. Clover raised an eyebrow. They had entered a bookstore before, and he had obviously adored it. Water wasn’t kind to paper, so he had never seen a book before then. However, these books in the display window had blank, title-less covers. How was he supposed to tell whether or not he’d like their contents?</p><p>Qrow squinted at the multicoloured books on display, looking back and forth between them and Clover. Something must have caught his eye, because he stopped with a satisfied smile.</p><p>“Hold on a sec,” he said, entering the store. A few seconds passed, and Clover watched through the window as he fumbled to the checkout, chatting with the cashier and left with a brown paper bag.</p><p>“Uh...here.” </p><p>The sound of crumpling paper filled the air as Qrow reached into the bag and pulled out a thin, sea-green book. He handed it to Clover, who blinked in disbelief before slowly taking it. </p><p>His fingers traced the embossed leather, gold vines twisting up the cover and spine. It was high end, a luxurious item he had never dreamed of owning before then.</p><p>“It’s for you,” Qrow murmured, hand reaching to bashfully rub the back of his neck, “Thought you might like it.” </p><p>Qrow saw <em>this</em> beautiful thing and thought of him? </p><p>Someone was going to have to stop him from grabbing the prince making out with him right then and there.</p><p>A moment passed before Qrow cursed, fumbling for the bag again. He pulled out a simple fountain pen, also passing it to him.</p><p>I was thinking that with this stuff you could...write down what you want to say instead,” he offered, shrugging, “You know, to make it easier between us.”</p><p>Clover stared at Qrow, wide-eyed, before quickly turning the book to the first page. Wordless, with lined pages. </p><p>Maybe he’d be making out with him right then and there after all.</p><p>With a click he popped the pen’s lid off and started to scribble.</p><p>
  <em>“Thank you.”</em>
</p><p>He quickly whipped it around to show Qrow, before turning it back towards himself to continue writing.</p><p>
  <em>“That night after the shipwreck, I was the one who rescu-”</em>
</p><p>A loud squawk grabbed his attention, and he looked up just in time for a seagull to splatter a fresh shit all over the page. </p><p>Qrow cringed, gaze darting up to look at the offending seagull. However, Clover wasn’t going to give up so easily. </p><p>Rrrrp! He ripped the soiled page out of the notebook, threw it in the nearest trash bin and started again.</p><p>
  <em>“My name is Clo-”</em>
</p><p>An hurried citizen bumped into Clover, making the book fall face first into the mud. </p><p>Qrow cursed, quickly picked it up and wiped it on his clothes before handing it back to him.</p><p><em>Rrrrp!</em> Clover started again.</p><p>
  <em>“My voice was stolen by-”</em>
</p><p>Barely avoiding the two, a runaway horse galloped through the mud. Dirty water splashed everywhere, including his clothes and the page he was writing on.</p><p><em>Rrrrp!</em> Clover started again-</p><p><em>Crk!</em> His pen broke, soaking the unfinished sentence in blue ink.</p><p>“That’s unfortunate.” Qrow winced, taking the pen from Clover’s hand and shaking off the excess ink, “I should have picked out a better one.”</p><p>When Qrow left to toss the pen in the trash, a slimy phantom voice echoed through Clover’s thoughts. He stiffened.</p><p>
  <strong>Go on, try again. I’m begging you. </strong>
</p><p>Tyrian? Great, this slimy bastard was in his head now. Suddenly all the weird coincidences that had prevented him from writing anything meaningful made sense.</p><p>
  <strong>We made a deal, Cloves, and your useless attempts at finding a loophole simply won’t do.</strong>
</p><p>Since when was <em>this</em> part of the deal? Gods, he really should have read that stupid contract more thoroughly. </p><p>The exasperated merman gave up, closing the book with a silent sigh.</p><p>
  <strong>Oh, why the long face? Here, because this was quite the clever idea, I'll make a compromise. You can write whatever you please, but I’ll make another ‘accident’ occur if you break any rules. Understand, little kingfisher?</strong>
</p><p><em>Fuck off.</em> Clover responded.</p><p>“You okay, pal?”</p><p>He snapped back to reality as Qrow awkwardly waved his hand in front of his eyes. Oh. The whole time he was mentally battling Tyrian, he hadn’t even realised he was staring into space.</p><p>“I got you a new one,” Qrow said, handing him a pen of significantly higher quality, “Try again.”</p><p>As much as he really, REALLY, wanted to, he had to shake his head for now. That didn’t mean he couldn’t still use this to his advantage. He finally had a way of communicating with Qrow, and there was no way he wouldn’t use it. Maybe a question about his past, or a flirtatious remark, or...</p><p>...what was that?</p><p>Behind him, in the middle of the town square, was a large fountain. </p><p>Crystal clear water poured from the podium into the pool below in a mesmerising display. It was lovely, but that wasn’t what caught Clover’s eye. No, what grabbed his attention was the statue standing in the centre of the fountain’s podium. </p><p>A tall, regal statue of an elegant woman in a cloak, watching over the passers-by. The faded silver gleamed in the sunlight, and Clover couldn’t help approaching it to take a closer look. </p><p>“Hey, where are you...oh.”</p><p>As he drew closer, he noticed the woman bore a striking resemblance to Qrow’s energetic niece. She looked significantly older and her hair was less wild, but their eyes were a perfect mirror image. It was no wonder where Ruby had gotten her piercing silver eyes from.</p><p>At the base of the fountain’s reservoir, a bronze plaque lay embedded in the side surrounded by several bouquets of blood-red roses. Crouching down, Clover carefully read the inscription. </p><p>
  <em>In Memory of Queen Summer Rose</em><br/>
<em>Fearless Leader and Beloved Ruler</em>
</p><p>He turned to Qrow, who stared past him and up at the statue. The way he slowly approached made it seem like he was greeting an old friend, rather than a metal sculpture. </p><p>This was the first time he had seen Qrow like this. He looked...sad. Mournful. There was something there, a sentence on the tip of his tongue he didn’t have the strength to say to her.</p><p>His fingers traced the edge of the reservoir, lost in thought.</p><p>“...it’s been a while. I’m sorry I didn’t bring you anything.”</p><p>Clover didn’t know who Summer Rose was, but she seemed important to Qrow. He wanted to ask about her, but even if he didn’t know where he would start. Heck, he didn’t know if he’d want to talk about it anyway, especially when they were in a place as public as the middle of a town square.</p><p>He watched as Qrow hesitantly, painfully, reached into his pocket and pulled out a square, metal canister. It looked vaguely similar to a description he had heard once. What was it? He shifted through his memories, trying to remember the identity of that strange bottle.</p><p>It was made clear when Qrow half-heartedly unscrewed the cap and raised it to his lips. </p><p><em>Flask.</em> It was a flask.</p><p>Music suddenly blasted through the air, and Clover looked up to see a group of musicians playing at the far end of the square. Apart from the musicians, a few couples were spinning around and moving in synchronisation. He briefly recalled Penny telling him about this action...dancing.</p><p>Now, how hard could that possibly be?</p><p>Carefully setting his notebook aside, Clover strode towards the band, spinning around to not lose sight of Qrow. He held a hand out and teasingly cocked an eyebrow, beckoning for the prince to join him. </p><p>Qrow scoffed, but accepted the invitation as he hastily shoved his flask back into his pocket. </p><p>“Can’t say I suck at dancing,” Qrow murmured, placing his hand on Clover’s shoulder, “But knowing my luck, I’ll end up tripping over my own feet anyway.”</p><p>
  <em>I didn’t even <strong>have</strong> feet until yesterday. Something tells me you’ll be just fine.</em>
</p><p>..his BEST MATERIAL. <em>WASTED. </em></p><p>Whatever self-deprecating comments Qrow made about himself, Clover immediately learned none of them were true. Unfortunately he also learned that dancing, even the simple waltz they had started into, was a lot harder than he initially thought. Maybe it was because walking was still a bit of struggle for him. Or maybe he just had no sense of rhythm. Either way, he sucked.</p><p>“Not a dancer, huh?” Qrow asked, raising an eyebrow to mimic Clover’s oh-so-cocky expression from five seconds ago, “Considering how smug you were I almost mistook you for a professional.”</p><p>Snarky comments aside, Clover kept clumsily stumbling through the dance. He tried to figure it out on his own, but every attempt always ended up with him treading on the other man’s toes. That is, until Qrow took the lead by moving his hand further down from his shoulder. </p><p>“Here. Chin up, back straight. Step with me. One, two, three. One, two, three...” </p><p>Qrow carefully guided Clover along, and after the initial jitters settled he learned fast. A step forward, a step back, turn, spin, rinse and repeat. Once he got the hang of it it ended up being quite fun. He even managed to add some extra flair, twirling outwards and back into Qrow’s arms.</p><p>“See? You’re a natural.” Qrow said, taking a step back, “Can't even tell this is your first time-”</p><p>A surprised gasp left Qrow as his footing slipped on the bricks underneath him and he fell backwards. Clover took this as an opportunity to wrap his arm around his waist, catching him in an unintentional dip. A playful smirk escaped him as he pulled the prince back to his feet.</p><p>“Lucky catch,” Qrow chuckled as they returned to their steady rhythm, “But I’m not about to be out-danced by an amateur.”</p><p>With minimal effort Qrow shallowly dipped Clover in return, before grabbing him by the waist and lifting him into a spin. Memories of their second meeting at the beach returned to the former merman, and he had no doubt the prince was thinking of the same thing.</p><p>They settled in that steady rhythm, continuing in comfortable silence. Thoughts drifted, and they unconsciously brought each other closer to each other the more comfortable they got. Their friendly competition was forgotten, simply enjoying each other’s company.</p><p>It would be so easy to just...lean in and close the gap between them. The thought threatened to make Clover forget the dancing steps he was just taught. But the last thing he wanted was to make Qrow uncomfortable. If they were going to kiss, he wanted it to come from him. </p><p>Besides, with his fingers curled into Qrow’s as he stared into those crimson eyes, he couldn’t possibly ask for more.</p><p>As the music drew to a close, the couple was snapped out of their daze by the sound of cheering. Turns out they had quite the audience, as a small group of townspeople had gathered to watch them. Qrow flushed pink, awkwardly bowing to the on-lookers while Clover gave them a proud salute out of habit.</p><p>The townspeople eventually cleared out, and Qrow turned to the sky.</p><p>“Sun should be setting soon. Do you think we should head back?”</p><p>Looking up, Clover noticed the sun already starting to duck below the horizon. Already the sky was starting to turn shades of pink and orange, the light turning into streaks of gold.</p><p>He shook his head, and Qrow grinned in return. </p><p>“Me neither.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>How tf did I write over 3,000 words for a 1 minute movie scene?? Who knows. I had about twenty different plot threads I ended up scrapping, and y'all should know I cried internally as I deleted them.</p><p>Y’all know what’s coming next chapter ;))</p><p>Thanks for reading! Kudos/comments/generally existing ALL appreciated.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Kiss and Tell</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Just two bros...chilling in a boat...one foot apart cause they’re not gay-</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I severely underestimated how hard this chapter would be to write without the song. Also I learnt the hard way the boat ride in the movie took place in a lagoon, not a lake. My bad.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The second sunset had barely disappeared across the horizon, and to Clover the night was only beginning.</p>
<p>As their small boat set sail across the lagoon, Clover couldn’t help feeling the slightest bit at home. It reminded him of the days he would poke his head out of the ocean’s surface at dusk, watching as the sun set and the human world slowly fell asleep.</p>
<p>A part of him still didn’t believe he was actually here. Finally part of that world he spent so long observing, on an unofficial date with Prince Qrow Branwen. He dreaded the idea of blinking and suddenly waking up from this dream come true.</p>
<p>Despite the lagoon being connected to the ocean, he also never dared to explore it before this. Too close to other humans, too likely for Ironwood to find out he was there. But now he was human himself, and he could enjoy it like they would. </p>
<p>He leaned back, savouring the sights and feelings.</p>
<p>The cool breeze that gently blew through his hair.</p>
<p>The sound of the ripples against the bottom of their boat.</p>
<p>The glimmer of a burgundy tail among the reeds.</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>The <em>suspiciously familiar</em> glimmer.</p>
<p>….</p>
<p>
  <em>Robyn?!</em>
</p>
<p>Clover’s gaze snapped back to the glittering scales. Sure enough, the merry mermaid herself Robyn Hill was sticking her head out of the water, her flippers lazily poking out behind her. She gave him a click of her tongue and a finger gun before a flash of white (which he could only assume was Winter) pulled her back under.</p>
<p>So, <em>that</em> was a thing now. Penny must have told them he would be here...somehow. The reason for how she knew escaped him.</p>
<p>“You know, I kind of feel bad calling you ‘pal’ and ‘buddy’ all the time.” Qrow asked. “What’s your name?”</p>
<p>Right. And <em>that</em> was still a problem.</p>
<p>Clover tapped his mouth, eliciting a low groan from the prince.</p>
<p>“Right. Sorry.” Qrow gestured towards the book, still in Clover’s hands, “Can you write it down?”</p>
<p>Flashbacks to the last time he tried to write his name down made him reluctantly shake his head.</p>
<p>“That’s okay, maybe I can guess.”</p>
<p>With a reassuring nod, Qrow put a finger to his chin and started to think.</p>
<p>“Okay...Adam?”</p>
<p>Clover pretended to throw up, which got a snort out of the prince.</p>
<p>“Alright, that’s a no. Uhh...John? Leo? <em>James?”</em> Clover shook his head after every name, though he did have to stifle a snicker at James. Wow, the king would have him <em>shot</em> if he knew where he was.</p>
<p>As Qrow continued, Clover looked over his shoulder again at the mermaids watching him. Robyn was waving around to grab his attention, but he pretended not to see her. It was only when Winter surfaced and gestured towards a grassy mound near the lake’s bank that he realised what they were trying to do. </p>
<p>Well, it was worth a shot.</p>
<p>Clover extended a hand to Qrow, gesturing towards the oars.</p>
<p>“You want to row?” he asked skeptically. Clover nodded and he passed the oars over.</p>
<p>Carefully, he rowed closer to the bank until the grass was an arm’s length away. It was a lovely array, the grass teeming with flowers, weeds and…</p>
<p>Reaching out, he plucked a clover off the top and showed it to Qrow.</p>
<p>“Huh,” Qrow began, “It’s really cute-”</p>
<p>He cut himself off when Clover pointed at himself, then to the plant, then back to himself. </p>
<p><em>My name.</em> He mouthed.</p>
<p>Qrow’s eyes finally widened in realisation.</p>
<p>“Your name...is that your name?”</p>
<p>YES.</p>
<p>“Shamrock?”</p>
<p>...NO. </p>
<p>Clover stifled a laugh as an almost unhearable scream of frustration rose from the water. He twirled his hand around, signalling for Qrow to elaborate.</p>
<p>“Wait...oh, <em>Clover!”</em> Qrow exclaimed, face-palming.</p>
<p>The man in question nodded eagerly, and Qrow let out a sigh of relief.</p>
<p><em>“Clover,”</em> the prince remarked, smirking. “It’s a nice name.”</p>
<p>Wow. He really underestimated how perfect his name would sound coming out of the prince’s mouth.</p>
<p>Clover fumbled for his notebook, quickly writing the first thing that came to his mind. With a deep breath, he flipped it around and prayed Qrow would be able to see it.</p>
<p>
  <em>“I like your name too.”</em>
</p>
<p>Qrow smirked, “...thank, I guess.”</p>
<p>It seemed like Tyrian was going to be a bit lenient with his form of communication. He was still limited to what he could write, which was going to be a nuisance. Still, the fact that he could communicate at all made him breathe a sigh of relief.</p>
<p>For a while, Qrow continued to row in silence. Clover leaned back again and let himself enjoy the peace. He could barely make out the two mermaids in his peripheral vision, but he elected to ignore them for the time being. Hopefully they wouldn’t do anything too suspicious.</p>
<p>The sky grew darker as the sun disappeared over the trees, and it wasn’t long before the prince spoke up again.</p>
<p>“What do you think of Mistral? Have you been enjoying it?”</p>
<p>Clover went to nod before inspiration struck him like lightning. Scrambling for his pen, he scrawled his answer before proudly showing it to the other man.</p>
<p>
  <em>“The company is definitely a bonus. I got lucky in that regard.”</em>
</p>
<p>He winked and topped it off with an award-winning smile. At the gesture, Qrow choked on laughter, his face flushing to match his eyes.</p>
<p>Nailed it! After all that time, he had finally nailed a pick up line and he felt…</p>
<p>Empty.</p>
<p>As proud as Clover was of that line, something about it didn’t sit right with him. It felt good to flirt again, but after this long the pick-up lines almost felt...impersonal. Maybe it was because he was writing it down. Maybe something about him had changed in the time he had spent on land.</p>
<p>Qrow’s voice brought him back to reality a second later.</p>
<p>“Gotta say, it’s been a while since I’ve done something like this,” he breathed, “It’s nice.”</p>
<p>A small smile spread on Clover’s face, and he picked his notebook up to write a response.</p>
<p>
  <em>“You’ve had to look after those kids all day. I’d say you deserve to take some time off.”</em>
</p>
<p>“It’s less about time and more about spending it with someone else. Usually I find being alone just tends to be for the best.”</p>
<p>Clover didn’t know why, but something in the tone of Qrow’s voice made his face fall. His grip tightened on the pen in his hand.</p>
<p>
  <em>“That’s a shame.”</em>
</p>
<p>Qrow turned away, hesitantly putting his focus back into rowing. Sensing his discomfort, Clover shifted the topic. He sifted through random conversation topics in his head, but every time his mind betrayed him. </p>
<p>It always went back to the square, to the fountain and the statue. Back to how Qrow forlornly gazed up at it. How tired he seemed at that moment.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Who was Summer Rose? The statue at the fountain. It sounded like you knew her.”</em>
</p>
<p>The prince seemed to stiffen as soon as he read the name. </p>
<p>“She was an old friend. It’s kind of a long story.”</p>
<p>He went to turn away again, but Clover stopped him with a gentle hand on his shoulder. Pausing to think, he quickly continued before the other man could turn around again.</p>
<p>
  <em>“I have time.”</em>
</p>
<p>Qrow’s gaze wandered, seemingly weighing his options. Clover immediately cursed himself for making the mood even more awkward. He hastily backpedalled, turning the book back around to write. </p>
<p>
  <em>“You don’t have to tell me if you’re not com-”</em>
</p>
<p>“Summer was the real ruler of Mistral. Before me.”</p>
<p>….oh.</p>
<p>Looking up from his writing, Clover gave Qrow a confused look. </p>
<p>He continued, “She befriended me and my sister way back. We probably would have been hanged if she hadn’t pardoned us. It took a while, but we warmed up to her, and we eventually got really close. After a while we even made another friend, Tai, and he joined our little group. We were a real family, us four.”</p>
<p>Tai. <em>Tai.</em> That name rang a distant bell in Clover’s mind. Where had he heard it before?</p>
<p>“Things got worse. Raven got hitched to Tai, but she made a run for it when Yang was born. Summer pretty much took up the role as her surrogate mother. She and Tai got married some time later, and Ruby was born. Brothers know how that even happened.”</p>
<p>Qrow’s hands tensed around the oars. Just recalling the tangled web of events was starting to make him dizzy.</p>
<p>“Then the storms came, and they didn’t stop for months. After that she just...<em>disappeared.</em> I think that was the breaking point for Tai. He ran off to who knows where. With him gone, Ruby was next in line to the throne. I couldn’t let her do it when she was so young, so I took it in her place.”</p>
<p>With a weary sigh, he combed his shaking fingers through his hair.</p>
<p>“But now there are all these laws Oz is insisting on, and now I have to get married to someone, and then I finally <em>found</em> someone, and I don’t even know if he’s <em>real,</em> and I just…”</p>
<p>The melodic hum of crickets filled the silence as Qrow slumped in his seat.</p>
<p>“Sometimes I wonder how much better things would be if she were here instead.”</p>
<p>…well, he was right about it being complicated. </p>
<p>Clover’s mind was still reeling from what he had been told. What was he supposed to say to that? He wanted to ask more about Qrow’s friends. He wanted to lift his spirits with a dumb joke. He wanted to brush off his self-deprecation with an earnest compliment, leaving the prince blushing and rethinking his unwarranted cynicism. </p>
<p>He opened his mouth to respond, only for no words to come out.</p>
<p>The pages of his notebook cut into his fingers as he clenched it in his hands.</p>
<p>Even if he knew what to say, did it even matter? At the end of the day, it would be cold words on a piece of paper, devoid of any emotion he desperately wanted to convey through his tone. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry.” </p>
<p>Wide-eyed, Clover looked up at Qrow, who’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.</p>
<p>“You didn’t sign up for this tour to hear about my problems,” he joked. “You shouldn’t have to say anything.” </p>
<p>A stinging sadness cut through Clover at the words.</p>
<p>Maybe he didn’t have to. </p>
<p>But he wanted to.</p>
<p>Slowly, Clover exhaled and picked up his pen. He wasn’t going to let this stop him. Voice be damned, he was going to make Qrow see the truth.</p>
<p>Flipping to the next page of his notebook, Clover clumsily scribbled a sentence down before spinning it around to face him.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Don’t sell yourself short. You have a greater effect on people than you realize.”</em>
</p>
<p>The prince struggled to read the words in the fading light. Once his eyes adjusted, he drawled, “Sure, For better or for worse.”</p>
<p>Clover continued, the scratching of his pen filling the air. </p>
<p>
  <em>“For better. Your nieces are lucky they had someone like you to look up to.”</em>
</p>
<p>Qrow gave him a strained smile, “I still have a lot to learn from those girls. It’s incredible how far they’ve come.”</p>
<p>Another few sentences, another flip to face Qrow.</p>
<p>
  <em>“And I’m sure they’ve learnt from you themselves. You’ve been nothing but kind to me, and I’ve had a great time today because of you.”</em>
</p>
<p>Qrow paused, shifting in his seat.</p>
<p>“...thanks, by the way. For being here with me. It’s more than I’ve had a long time.”</p>
<p>With a huff, Clover whipped it back around and continued scrawling. The constant dismissal of his compliments made him all the more determined to get through to him. </p>
<p>
  <em>“And you shouldn’t deflect my compliments. I mean them.”</em>
</p>
<p>Underlining the sentences with three bold lines of pen, Clover accidentally almost shoved the notebook into Qrow’s face when he showed him his writing. </p>
<p>Qrow blinked in surprise once he read the words, before a dry chuckle escaped his throat. His hand habitually rubbed the back of his neck.</p>
<p>“Thank you,” he murmured, his face flushing slightly.</p>
<p>A smile spread on Qrow’s face yet again, soft and genuine like the one at dinner last night. Clover’s heart fluttered. He knew that one pep talk wasn’t going to solve all of Qrow’s worries. But right then, it looked like he just needed someone to listen to him. And he would do anything to see him smile like that again.</p>
<p>“Well, that’s enough about me for one lifetime.” Qrow announced, leaning forward, “Tell me about you. Got any weird baggage you’re willing to share?”</p>
<p>More about himself? His pen hovered over the paper before the rules Tyrian had given him returned to mind. Not willing to risk breaking a second pen, he pushed what he was really going to say to the back of his mind.</p>
<p>
  <em>“I’ll tell you another time.”</em>
</p>
<p>Qrow grinned, “I look forward to it.”</p>
<p>The pair vaguely noticed that they were aimlessly drifting through the lagoon. Eventually they glided under a curtain of willow tree leaves. The space was dark, and they struggled to adjust to the lack of light.</p>
<p>Luckily, they didn’t have to worry about that for long. In the corners of their eyes, the space around them gradually lit up with captivating, yellow specks of light. </p>
<p>Fireflies. </p>
<p>Despite the display, they didn’t look away from each other for a second. Their fingers tangled together, the warmth surprisingly grounding. Neither could exactly recall when they started to hold hands, but neither wanted to let go. </p>
<p>Clover looked back at Qrow, the firefly glow reflecting off of the crimson in his eyes. How much time had passed? He didn’t know, and he didn’t care. The moment could have lasted forever, and he wouldn’t have minded. </p>
<p>This was everything he had ever dreamed of. </p>
<p>Qrow’s gaze flickered to Clover’s lips, and that was all the incentive they needed. Hands entwined, they slowly, unsurely, pulled towards each other. </p>
<p>Clover’s eyes slipped shut, and Qrow soon closed his own in anticipation...</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>Then everything lurched sideways.</p>
<p>Or rather, their <em>boat</em> lurched sideways before capsizing, making the two tumble into the murky water.</p>
<p>Fortunately, the water was only up to their waist, so they didn’t need to worry about swimming. That didn’t make the sting of dirty, ice-cold water any less jarring. Clover sat up, coughing, before Qrow spotted him and pulled him to his feet.</p>
<p>“You okay?” Qrow asked, all thought of kissing most likely forgotten.</p>
<p>Clover nodded, still slightly confused. What had just happened? Surely this wasn’t Robyn playing some sort of cheap joke. Had they hit a rock, or leaned too far to the right?</p>
<p>He scanned the water, noticing his notebook and pen floating on the surface. Scooping it up and examining the pages, he sighed in relief when he realised it was only slightly waterlogged.</p>
<p>“Just our luck, huh?” Qrow joked. </p>
<p>Clover responded by sneezing. The cold was starting to get to him. </p>
<p>“Fair enough. Come on, let’s get to dry land.”</p>
<p>As they made their way to shore, something moving under the water caught Clover’s eye. He squinted and caught sight of two very familiar sea scorpions, casually gliding away from the capsized boat.</p>
<p>He really should have read that contract through.</p>
<p>------</p>
<p>A sickening crack echoed through Tyrian’s lair as he swung his fist into the wall.</p>
<p>“That was a close one. <em>Too close.”</em> he growled, ”That son of a <em>BITCH!”</em></p>
<p>He gritted his teeth with enough force for it to hurt. Despite his efforts, the two men were only getting closer and closer. He was too lenient, too sure he was going to win before, and now he would pay the price. At this rate, they were going to kiss before sunset for sure, and he would lose.</p>
<p>Then what would his <em>divine saviour</em> think?</p>
<p>His goddess would be disappointed. His goddess would be <em>ashamed.</em> Displeasing his queen pained Tyrian on a primal level, the mere thought of it filling him with the urge to claw his skin off.</p>
<p>“Seems like I’m going to have to do what I do best. Sow chaos, by <em>myself!”</em> Tyrian grunted, snatching vials and bottles of assorted substances and chucking them wildly into his cauldron.</p>
<p>Not good enough. <em>Not good enough.</em> Just stopping Clover wouldn’t satisfy him anymore. He wanted to rip that merman apart. He wanted to make him lose spectacularly, so he felt nothing but pain in his final moments. </p>
<p>He wanted to make him <em>suffer.</em></p>
<p>Out of the corner of his eye, Tyrian saw the pin he had taken from Clover. Ripe, powerful and filled with the enchantment of his voice. </p>
<p>He giggled hysterically, taking it off its shelf.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Perhaps it’s time to kill two birds with one stone.”</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Tai bby i’m so sorry for making you a runaway. i didn’t know where to add you in the fic and i had to have a reason for why you were gone...</p>
<p>I’ll have to write a bonus chapter another time through Robyn/Winter’s perspective, because they were actually a LOT more involved in what happened than it seemed. In the meantime...take this chapter as an apology for what’s to come.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading! Kudos/comments/generally existing ALL appreciated.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Out of Luck</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Qrow makes a decision.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The salty wind whipped through Qrow’s messy hair as he stared at the horizon. Comforting darkness surrounded him as his fingers tightened around his flask. He couldn’t bring himself to take a sip.</p>
<p>After their boat had flipped over, he and Clover were forced to wade through murky water for a solid while before they reached the shore. Then they had to trudge back to their carriage and sit in their soggy clothes for the ride back, which was uncomfortable to say the least. </p>
<p>But to tell the truth, the most uncomfortable part was the awkward silence that followed their almost kiss.</p>
<p>Qrow hadn’t forgotten. Of course he couldn’t. It was the only thing he could think about for the rest of the night. He wrestled with the memory as their carriage brought them to the castle. He told himself over and over that it was a accident, that it was the result of them mistakenly leaning a tad too close to each other.</p>
<p>His lies did little to shake off the feeling of Clover’s breath against his lips.</p>
<p>“Hey, Uncle Qrow.”</p>
<p>Ruby was standing next to him, the gleam of her silver eyes standing out amongst the darkness. Behind her, Weiss watched with her arms crossed.</p>
<p>“Hey, pipsqueak.” Qrow drawled, reaching out and ruffling her hair. She giggled, grabbing his hand to stop the motion. </p>
<p>“What are you two still doing up?” he asked, letting go.</p>
<p>“Checking on you. Everyone else is asleep, so Ozpin told us to bring you back inside,” Weiss explained.</p>
<p>“Yeah, what are you still doing out? It’s <em>freezing,”</em> Ruby continued, shivering.</p>
<p>“Thanks, kids,” Qrow drawled, head leaning back, “I just needed some fresh air. The tour took a lot out of me.”</p>
<p>Ruby gasped, “We’re so sorry we left without you two! I wanted to wait, but Weiss made us leave early.”</p>
<p>The girls made it back to the castle significantly earlier than Qrow and Clover. Naturally, seeing the two of them soaked to the bone in muddy water raised more than a couple questions, all of which Qrow did his best to avoid.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, Qrow still laughed, “Ruby, it's fine. Nothing bad happened.” </p>
<p>A light flickering on caught Qrow’s attention, and the trio looked up to see Clover through his bedroom window. He carefully combed his hair as Penny bounced into the room, excitedly chattering about her day.</p>
<p>A thin smile took over Qrow’s face as he reminisced, “It was actually really fun. Clover had a good time.”</p>
<p>Ruby’s face lit up with realisation, “Is that his name? <em>Clover?”</em></p>
<p>Qrow nodded, “Yep. Bought him a notebook so he could say what he wanted.”</p>
<p>Weiss raised an eyebrow, giving a short hum in acknowledgement, “Interesting. And he didn’t mention anything <em>else?”</em></p>
<p>“Nope,” Qrow’s eyes narrowed as he turned to her, “Why do you want to know?”</p>
<p>“Oh, I just thought he’d tell you something more. Maybe about his family...where he came from...whether or not he’s the person who rescued you from the shipwreck...”</p>
<p>He managed a humourless chuckle. “No. If he was, I think he would have mentioned it by now.”</p>
<p>It’s not like he didn’t like the idea. Clover was nothing like his stuffy suitors or the overly-adoring townsfolk. He was kind, and thoughtful, and...yeah, pretty damn attractive. Clover was everything he wanted wrapped in a waterlogged boat sail and dropped into his lap out of nowhere.</p>
<p>...he didn’t want to admit it, but Qrow <em>wished</em> Clover was his rescuer. </p>
<p>The prince snapped out of his thoughts once he noticed Ruby’s expression, unreadable as she stared at him.</p>
<p>“...everything alright, kiddo?” he murmured.</p>
<p>“You look a lot happier.”</p>
<p>He stiffened as Ruby smiled, her eyes full of warmth.</p>
<p>“After Dad disappeared, you haven’t had anyone to talk to other than Oz. So...I think you really needed a friend like Clover.”</p>
<p><em>Friend.</em> For some reason, the word made him feel uneasy. Was that all Clover was to him? Was that all he wanted Clover to be?</p>
<p>Qrow’s eyes widened as Ruby pulled him into a quick hug, squeezing tightly before letting go. </p>
<p>“We’ll leave you alone,” She looked back to her friend as she turned to leave, “Weiss? You coming?”</p>
<p>“I’ll catch up. Just give us a second.” she responded.</p>
<p>With one last nod, Ruby ran down the path towards the castle, cape trailing behind her in the wind.</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>Weiss was the first to break the following silence.</p>
<p>“You know, for all your whining about not finding your mystery saviour or <em>soulmate</em> or whatever, you’re terrible at knowing when he’s right in front of you.”</p>
<p>Qrow blinked several times before he registered what she just said.</p>
<p>He scoffed, “Look, Weiss, I appreciate the idea, but he’s not-”</p>
<p><em>“He is.”</em> Weiss interrupted, “And even if he wasn’t, you wouldn’t do anything wrong by choosing him instead.”</p>
<p>Rather than answering, Qrow turned back to the crashing waves below them. Weiss rolled her eyes in response.</p>
<p>“Rescuer or not, he makes you happy,” she said, placing a hand on her hip, “You like him. Ruby sees it. <em>I</em> see it. And I can tell he feels the same way.”</p>
<p>Qrow’s fingers clenched around his flask, “You don’t know that.”</p>
<p>Weiss glanced at the water, “Trust me, I know more about him than you think.”</p>
<p><em>What was she even talking about?</em> Qrow was too tired to figure out why she was suddenly acting so cryptic. He groaned, burying his face in his free hand as Weiss turned him with a dead-eyed stare.</p>
<p>“But if you still think I’m wrong...<em>ask him yourself.”</em></p>
<p>He wanted to laugh, or brush off the challenge as if it were nothing. But whatever retort he could have shot back was lost to him, dissolving on his tongue like seafoam. Weiss seemed to be satisfied with that, as she walked away as soon as she knew Qrow wouldn’t respond.</p>
<p>As the clicks of Weiss’ heels against the pavement faded into silence, Qrow looked back to the lit bedroom window above him. He looked back to Clover, who yawned and turned away from the glass. The light clicked off, and he was finally alone.</p>
<p>Qrow loved the starstruck look in Clover’s eyes that lingered as he watched the world pass by. That look that made it seem Clover could never tire of what he saw. Soft, full of passion and curiosity. Full of <em>love.</em></p>
<p>Did he want Clover to look at him like that?</p>
<p>The prince looked one more time at the flask in his hand, still filled to the brim with liquid, before he let go.</p>
<p>Liquor spilled through the air as Qrow chucked his flask as far as it would fly. Metal crashed against rock as it bounced against the cliff, finally splashing into the waves below.</p>
<p>He gave himself a minute to feel, before he turned to leave-</p>
<p>
  <em>“Such a beautiful night, isn’t it?”</em>
</p>
<p>Qrow spun around at the sound of the voice, meeting the gaze of a stranger who was definitely not there before. </p>
<p>His face was shrouded in darkness, and he could barely make out the curve of his sinister grin. The man’s voice echoed through the air, and Qrow could feel the sound vibrating deep in his bones. </p>
<p>Apprehension filling his gut. Something was wrong.</p>
<p>“...sure.” Qrow mumbled, taking a step back. The man smiled, slowly stepping out of the shadows.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Now, there’s no need to be so rude.”</em>
</p>
<p>Qrow eyes widened as he came face to face with...Clover? No, this man was different. Paler skin, fluffy black hair and a VOICE. </p>
<p>A familiar voice...a voice he had heard almost a month ago.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Is that any way to talk to the man who saved your life?”</em>
</p>
<p>...no.</p>
<p>It sounded like him, and in the foggy memories Qrow looked back on it even <em>looked</em> like him.  The voice was soothing, convincing, and Qrow was almost inclined to believe it. </p>
<p>But the stranger’s golden eyes flashed as they widened, forcing him to take another step back. </p>
<p>Whoever that person was, it couldn’t possibly be him. He was sure of it.</p>
<p>“You’re...you’re not-” A stinging pain took over Qrow’s thoughts, and he clutched his head in agony.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Perhaps you need a reminder.”</em>
</p>
<p>A chorus of overlapping voices filled Qrow’s ears, discordant and fighting for dominance. His head was pounding. Unexplainable green tendrils of light filled his vision swirled around him as the man drew closer. He felt a gentle hand tilt his chin upwards, and when he opened his eyes all he could see was the green. </p>
<p>The stranger’s voice dripped like honey, echoing a blurred, nearly forgotten memory. Static enveloped his thoughts, and suddenly Qrow was calm.  </p>
<p>He had found his rescuer.</p>
<p>-------</p>
<p>“SaaaaaaluuuuuuTATIONS!!”</p>
<p>A loud slamming noise jolted Clover awake as Penny burst through the door yet again, carrying a small pile of clothes.</p>
<p>“Good morning, Clover!” she greeted, “And <em>congratulations!</em> My good friend Ruby told me just now, and I was absolutely thrilled to hear the news.”</p>
<p>What was going on? Yawning, Clover watched through bleary eyes as Penny bounced around the room, ripping the covers off of him.</p>
<p>“Time to get up!” she announced cheerfully, “You’ll have to eat breakfast first, but immediately afterwards it's off to start preparations!”</p>
<p>He raised an eyebrow as he sat up, trying to simultaneously shake off his sleepiness and figure out what he was supposed to be preparing for. Penny’s eagerness faltered slightly at his confusion.</p>
<p>“...you’re being surprisingly <em>neutral</em> about this,” she mused, tilting her head.</p>
<p>About <em>what??</em> Clover squinted, his confusion only growing.</p>
<p>“Um...<em>the wedding?</em> Everyone in town is talking about Prince Branwen getting married this afternoon to the mysterious man who rescued him! That <em>was</em> you, right?”</p>
<p>….WHAT?</p>
<p>Realisation shot through Clover, shaking him out of his haze. His gaze snapped to Penny, eyes wide.</p>
<p>“Last night he informed us that he had fallen in love, and issued his wedding to be this afternoon!” Penny explained, beaming, “I believe you’ve achieved your goal in winning his heart after all. Isn’t it exciting?”</p>
<p>He blinked, glancing away from Penny for a second. It was...way too good to be true. Maybe after the boat ride, Qrow decided to…but they…he…</p>
<p>He did it. </p>
<p>
  <em>Qrow loved him. </em>
</p>
<p>Shooting off the bed, Clover hugged Penny and spun her around the room.</p>
<p>“I will take that as a yes!”</p>
<p>After a second he dropped her and ran towards the door. As he zoomed past a mirror he jerked back and checked his hair. Satisfied with his terrible bed-head, he bolted out the door and down the corridor, with Penny not too far behind. </p>
<p>While the redhead told him about all the wedding preparations he would have to participate in, Clover came up with a list of his own. Brothers, what was he to do first? Probably kiss Qrow, so he could get his voice back and break Tyrian’s contract. Then he had to find Weiss and thank her, or visit the town to celebrate. </p>
<p>Or maybe kiss Qrow again. Yeah, that sounded good.</p>
<p>“Clover?”</p>
<p>Weiss stood in the hallway, her expression unusually solemn for the occasion. He barely stopped before he passed her.</p>
<p>“I...you shouldn’t-”</p>
<p>Clover cut her off by immediately pulling her into a bone crushing hug. It was barely a fraction of the gratitude he wanted to give her, but it would have to do for then. He couldn’t have done this without her. After a second, he let go and gave her an elated smile. </p>
<p>Weirdly, his reassuring gratitude only seemed to make her blood run cold. But he couldn’t linger on that for long. Hesitation fleeting, he took off down towards the stairs.</p>
<p>“No, <em>wait!”</em></p>
<p>He ran faster, almost tripping over his feet in his excitement. He just couldn’t believe it. Qrow loved him. Qrow loved <em>him.</em> Qrow-</p>
<p>“I’ll be damned. This mystery man exists after all.” </p>
<p>Clover’s heart stopped.</p>
<p>He halted at the top of the stairs, watching the scene below. Qrow stood with his back to him, silent and still as Ozpin stared at him in disbelief.</p>
<p>And at Qrow’s side...a handsome stranger held onto his arm, clearly enamoured with him. His short black hair and deep golden eyes were all Clover could see of his face, but he otherwise seemed completely normal.</p>
<p>And completely perfect.</p>
<p>“We wish to be married as soon as possible,” Qrow announced, voice emotionless and dull. </p>
<p>Clover took an unsteady step back, shaking his head. Bile rose in the back of his throat.</p>
<p>This couldn’t be happening.</p>
<p>“Well, things like this take time-”</p>
<p>“This afternoon, Ozpin.”</p>
<p>
  <em>No.</em>
</p>
<p>“The wedding ship departs at sunset.”</p>
<p>
  <em>NO.</em>
</p>
<p>“Very well. As you wish, your highness.”</p>
<p>He lost.</p>
<p>“Oh dear.” Penny murmured, covering her mouth with a hand, ”…Clover, I’m so sorry-“</p>
<p>She turned to face him, but he had already disappeared.</p>
<p>———</p>
<p>Wedding bells chimed joyfully, and streamers of all sorts were tossed into the air. Qrow and his fiancé walked to the ship surrounded by ecstatic onlookers, showering them with praise and affection. </p>
<p>Clover’s eyes were only on Qrow, donned in a suit fit for a prince. He at least tried to give him a congratulatory smile, but the husband-to-be didn’t even spare him a passing glance. </p>
<p>Royal guests followed the happy couple, all haughtily exchanging their congratulations.<br/>
Servants and family members were last, all equally excited and chatting amongst themselves. </p>
<p>As Penny scanned the crowd, she barely managed to catch sight of Clover and give him an apologetic glance before she was forced to board the ship with everyone else. Weiss didn’t look up from the floor, even as Ruby clambered around her, trying to get her attention.</p>
<p>The extravagant cruise ship sailed into the distance. Clover, the sole person left on the dock, numbly watched as the boat slowly disappeared over the horizon. He hadn’t even been invited. Not that he would have wanted to watch.</p>
<p>He really was <em>alone.</em> Penny and Weiss were on the ship, Robyn and Winter were under the sea miles away and Qrow… he forced himself not to think about Qrow, staring into his new husband’s eyes as the sunset christened their union. </p>
<p>Sunset.</p>
<p>Quietly exhaling, he looked to the sky. The sun hadn’t completely disappeared yet. Small traces of blue slowly faded from view, orange light reflecting off the surface of the rippling waves. It was a beautiful view, and he did his best to appreciate it.</p>
<p>Even as the memory of last night returned to him.</p>
<p>Even as he choked on the lump in his throat, remembering how Qrow smiled at him.</p>
<p>Even as his head pounded, pain consuming him as he realised it all meant nothing.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>He hated this.</p>
<p>Tears trickled down his face, and he furiously scrubbed at them to little avail. Now they had started they’d never stop. So much for going out with dignity.</p>
<p>Giving up, Clover collapsed in on himself, sinking to the floor against one of the dock’s structure beams. He silently sobbed into his arms, wishing he could scream and let all his sorrow out towards the unforgiving sea. </p>
<p>He hated this. He hated Tyrian. He hated <em>himself.</em></p>
<p>James was right. He never should have gone to the surface.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>:)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. A Mirror Broken</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The girls get suspicious. Angsty shenanigans ensue.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>HELL YEAH it’s done and i’m semi-happy with it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Penny had a few...<em>personal feelings</em> relating to the upcoming wedding. </p>
<p>She was still reeling from the realisation that Prince Branwen was marrying someone else. The sudden wedding, the groom appearing from thin air overnight, it all made no sense and it all irritated her to no end. When she asked Ruby and her other friends, they all said they knew as much as she did. The difference was that they didn’t seem to care. They were a bit confused, sure, but most of all they were overjoyed that ‘their Uncle Qrow had finally found a husband.’ All except Weiss, who was just about as sceptical as she was. </p>
<p>Which was why, with Weiss’ approval, she decided to do a little digging before the ceremony started. </p>
<p>Penny walked down the halls of the ship, passing by the other guest’s rooms as she went. It wasn’t long before she made it to the stranger’s dressing room. With a deep breath, she gripped the doorknob and slowly pushed it open, trying to make as little noise as possible- </p>
<p>The door was yanked open the rest of the way. She jumped, and the stranger behind it gave her a thin smile. </p>
<p><em>“Wonderful.</em> You’re just in time. Would you be a dear and help me put this infernal thing on?”</p>
<p>Penny stared blankly at the man, still trying to process what had just happened until her eyes travelled towards the black jacket in his arms. </p>
<p>Right. She was supposed to do her job. Crap crap crap-</p>
<p>“Oh, right!” she said as she rushed inside the room, “Apologies, sir.”</p>
<p>As the two of them walked inside, she tried her best not to stare. Somehow she hadn't seen it before, but now she was up close she couldn't help noticing how <em>familiar</em> he looked. Meeting this stranger’s gaze was almost like staring into a friend’s reflection in a funhouse mirror.</p>
<p>“Well? Get on with it!”</p>
<p>Snapping out of her thoughts, Penny took the fancy garment from the man and shook it to get rid of wrinkles.</p>
<p>Now that she thought about it, maybe actually <em>talking</em> to the man was better than rummaging through his belongings for anything suspicious. Maybe this way she could learn where this guy came from, or how he managed to get the prince to marry him so quickly.</p>
<p>“I don’t think I ever congratulated you on your engagement,” she said, forcing a smile as she slipped the jacket over his dress shirt, “You must be thrilled.”</p>
<p>He flashed his teeth as his arms slipped through the sleeves, “Why, I’m <em>ecstatic.</em> This is truly going to be a <em>marvellous</em> day.”</p>
<p>Like his face, his voice was awfully familiar, but she just couldn’t place the source. </p>
<p>“That’s true. Marrying Prince Branwen would certainly make anyone happy.” she continued.</p>
<p>The man’s face fell to a more deadpan expression at the mention of his fiance, seemingly losing interest in the conversation. </p>
<p>“Hm. I suppose so.”</p>
<p>Penny frowned, tilting her head slightly at the words. <em>Weird</em>...but not enough to warrant suspicion.</p>
<p>“How exactly did you and Prince Branwen meet?” she asked, opting to change the subject. </p>
<p>“Why, I was the one who saved him from that terrible storm!”</p>
<p>Penny immediately faltered, fingers skidding over the buttons of his suit.</p>
<p>“Fascinating.” she murmured, “How so?”</p>
<p>“Oh, it was nothing, really.” the man said, “It was all over town. <em>Everyone</em> was talking about it.”</p>
<p>The man continued his story, but Penny barely paid attention. It wasn’t true. None of it was true. She knew who really saved the prince from the accident, and it wasn’t some stranger.</p>
<p>One thing had just been made abundantly clear; Qrow’s soon-to-be husband was a <em>liar.</em></p>
<p>Gritting her teeth and nodding, she moved to the man’s front to adjust his lapel.</p>
<p>She knew there was something wrong. Once she got out of there, she would go straight to Weiss and they would tell the prince everything-</p>
<p>A flash of silver caught her eye, and she looked up to see the trinket the man was pinning to his lapel. </p>
<p>Emerald green. A silver four leaf clover in the centre underneath a horseshoe.</p>
<p>Her gaze darted up to meet the man’s eyes, which narrowed in confusion as they glanced at her. </p>
<p>The face, the voice...it was all so familiar because she <em>had</em> seen this person before. </p>
<p><em>“You</em> made the deal with Clover.”</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>Oh no.</p>
<p>Penny immediately clapped her hands over her mouth, but the damage had already been done. The man stared at her, seeming confused. The silence lingered for so long, for a second she thought she might have been mistaken.</p>
<p>Then his face split into a grotesque grin, and her heart dropped.</p>
<p>Tyrian giggled, his eyes flashing yellow for a split second. </p>
<p>“It was fun while it lasted.”</p>
<p>Penny turned to run, but a sharp grip around his arm yanked her back and sent her flying backwards. Clothes and wood flew around her as she collided with a chest of drawers, and she collapsed to the ground amongst the debris.</p>
<p>Groggily, she looked up to meet the sorcerer’s eyes. </p>
<p>“You know, for a royal servant you’re <em>simply</em> terrible at doing your job,” he snarked, brushing himself off.</p>
<p>Penny tried to get up, but the pain coursing through her limbs dragged her back down. She looked over to her arm, which was bent at a strange angle and completely numb with pain.</p>
<p>“That <em>brat</em> really doesn’t quit, does he?” Tyrian mused, casually straightening his pin, “Such a <em>shame</em> he won’t be here to enjoy the wedding.”</p>
<p>A sharp pang of anger rushed through her at the mention of Clover.</p>
<p>“So that was your plan,” she said, glaring at him, “Steal Clover’s voice, rig the bet and take-”</p>
<p>“Take Branwen for myself?” Tyrian scoffed, finishing her sentence, <em>“Hah!</em> Only in his wildest <em>DREAMS.</em> My body and heart belong only to our goddess.”</p>
<p>He strode over to the table on the far end of the room, grinning at himself in the mirror. The blood drained from Penny’s face as she caught sight of his reflection; his gaunt figure and sharp features completely different to the stranger that reflected them.</p>
<p>“But that’s not saying he’ll be <em>completely</em> useless.” he said, opening the drawer underneath, “After all…”</p>
<p>He pulled out a long dagger, which gleamed in the fading sunlight as he slipped it under his jacket.</p>
<p>“A <em>prince</em> would make QUITE the sacrifice for our divine saviour.”</p>
<p>Penny’s eyes widened in horror. She made one more attempt to stand up as he turned to leave, but her limbs still refused to cooperate. </p>
<p>“You won’t get away with this,” Penny declared, glaring his way, “I’ll make sure of it.”</p>
<p>Tyrian cast a smug glance in her direction before he left, the lock clicking as the door shut behind him. </p>
<p>Crap.</p>
<p>Penny was left alone, barely able to move and well and truly trapped. Even if she could stand, she’d still be locked inside the room with no key or way to break down the door. So close to help, yet so far. </p>
<p>She had to stop him, or at least <em>warn someone</em> before it was too late.</p>
<p>Then a switch flipped in her head. </p>
<p>Winter.</p>
<p>Her ribs ached as her good arm travelled downwards, but she exhaled when she discovered the conch shell on the belt was still intact. Carefully, Penny heaved herself into a sitting position as she pressed the shell to her ear.</p>
<p>“Winter? Winter, come in!”</p>
<p>A few seconds of silence passed… then a wave of relief rushed over her when she heard Winter respond.</p>
<p>“It’s about time! I’ve been waiting for an update all day, you can’t just go dark like that-”</p>
<p>“It’s great to hear from you, but we have a serious problem,” Penny explained, “That sorcerer you talked about is here. You have to stop him before he hurts Prince Branwen!”</p>
<p>That definitely wasn’t what Winter was expecting to hear.</p>
<p>“How? Penny, you’re not making any sense.”</p>
<p>“It’s <em>Tyrian.</em> He’s marrying Prince Branwen in disguise, and if you don’t do something Clover is going to lose the bet.”</p>
<p>Another second of silence passed as the words sunk in. Then there was the sound of shuffling, before Winter’s voice returned over the line.</p>
<p>“We’ll do what we can. Is Clover with you?”</p>
<p>“He’s still on land. The wedding’s taking place on a cruise ship. We set sail a while ago.”</p>
<p>“Alright. Maybe you can buy us some time while we get him.”</p>
<p>Penny glanced back at her messed up arm and winced. “I don’t think I’m going to be of much help.”</p>
<p>“Why? What did you do?”</p>
<p>“Tyrian….<em>may</em> have broken a few of my bones.”</p>
<p>
  <em>“What?!”</em>
</p>
<p>“I’ll be fine! Worry about me after you stop him.”</p>
<p>She heard Winter audibly hesitate. As cold as the specialist pretended to be, Penny knew she cared about her wellbeing. But Penny also knew Winter knew how to push aside her personal feelings to focus on more important matters.</p>
<p>“Thank you, Penny. We’re on our way.”</p>
<p>With that, Winter’s voice disappeared. Penny dropped the shell with a sigh, staring up at the ceiling.</p>
<p>She could only hope the others would make it in time.<br/>______</p>
<p>“cl... ”</p>
<p>“Clover…”</p>
<p>“CLOVER!!!”</p>
<p>Clover looked up, meeting the gaze of a newly livid Robyn and equally panicked Winter in the distance. It was nice to see them again, even if he was about to die-</p>
<p>“Get up! We’re getting you onto that ship,” Robyn announced, swimming closer.</p>
<p>He blinked in confusion.</p>
<p>“Tyrian rigged the wager.” Winter explained, “He used your voice in some sort of spell, and he disguised himself as someone else so he could stop you from kissing Qrow.”</p>
<p>“That piece of shit <em>cheated.”</em> Robyn hissed, clenching her fists, “We have to get you up there before it’s too late.”</p>
<p>… </p>
<p>Oh. </p>
<p>Slowly, Clover got to his feet. The sudden rush of blood to his head made him dizzy. Countless thoughts raced through his head, drowning out his friends’ rushed explanations. </p>
<p>He stared into the distance. Pink and orange hues bathed the scene, the sun backlighting the ship that was still barely in view. </p>
<p>Tyrian’s slimy voice echoed through his memory.  <em>Before the sun sets on the third day…</em></p>
<p>He hadn’t lost yet.</p>
<p>With that realisation, Clover launched himself into the ocean headfirst.</p>
<p>“Hey, HEY! What do you think you’re doing?!” Robyn exclaimed, darting over to Clover as he surfaced. As it was, he could barely keep his head above water.</p>
<p>Winter scanned the area, eyeing a bunch of tied up barrels sitting on the dock. With a leap out of the water and a slash of her nails, the barrels tumbled into the ocean alongside them.</p>
<p>“Grab on!” she barked. </p>
<p>Clover grabbed onto the nearest barrel, keeping himself afloat. Winter carefully wrapped what was left of the rope around the barrel and handed the ends to Robyn.</p>
<p>“I’m going to get the king. Get to the ship as fast as you can. We don’t have any time to lose.”</p>
<p>Robyn nodded as Winter disappeared under the surface of the ocean. Clover braced himself as she shot forward, dragging him towards the ship in the distance. </p>
<p>The mermaid was fast, and she was covering a surprising amount of ground, but the ship was still so far away. He wasn’t sure if they’d make it in time, even at the pace they were going at.</p>
<p>Luckily, Robyn seemed to be one step ahead of him in that regard.</p>
<p>“We’re going to need all the help we can get,” Robyn huffed, glancing at Clover over her shoulder, “You think I should call the girls?”</p>
<p>Clover let his deadpan expression speak for itself.</p>
<p>Robyn coughed, “...I’ll take that as a yes.”</p>
<p>She put her free hand to her mouth and let out a piercing whistle. It echoed through the air, so loud Clover jokingly thought it could be heard across the entire ocean.</p>
<p>Then Fiona, Joanna and May popped out of the water around them a second later, and he ate his nonexistent words. </p>
<p>“We heard your signal. What happened?” Fiona asked, gently grabbing onto Robyn’s shoulders.</p>
<p>“Long story short, we need to crash a wedding,” Robyn said, turning to the others, “Joanna, I need you to help me get Clover onboard a human ship.”</p>
<p>“Sounds fun,” Joanna grinned, looping her arm under the rope Robyn was holding onto.</p>
<p> “What about us? May asked, gaze flickering to meet Fiona’s. </p>
<p>“We have to get there before sunset. Do you two think you can stall the ceremony?” Robyn asked.</p>
<p>A shrill cawing noise filled the air. The group looked up to a swarm of seagulls circling above them. Clover watched as May’s face split into a grin. She gave the group a thumbs up before swimming ahead. </p>
<p>“Consider it done. Follow my lead!” she called out.</p>
<p>Like Robyn, she let out a sharp whistle of her own before diving under the waves with Fiona not too far behind.</p>
<p>Now that Joanna was helping them, Clover was being pulled towards the ship with frightening speed. He held on for dear life, occasionally pulling himself out of the water whenever he ducked too far under. If he survived this, he was going to set time aside to mourn his ability to breathe underwater. Brothers, he hoped he survived this.</p>
<p>Distantly, he realised the birds circling them had started to follow the sound of May and Fiona’s whistling. Specifically, they were heading towards the ship. As they drew closer, Clover heard the frantic caws of assorted birds, barely audible over the loud, LOUD screams of the people on board. </p>
<p>Finally, they made it to the hull of the ship. The noise was much louder now, and Clover cringed at the idea of what might have been happening on board.</p>
<p>“Alright, shrimp. It’s up to you now,” Robyn said, letting go of the rope.</p>
<p>Clover paddled past the two mermaids and grabbed onto a pole sticking out the side, hoisting himself out of the water. His clothes were heavy, soaked with seawater, and he considered at least ripping the sleeves off to give himself some more room to breathe.</p>
<p>His arms burned, but he ignored it in favour of going as fast as he could. Extensive training as a soldier had left him stronger than most, but that didn’t mean the climb was easy. At one point his grip slipped, and he would have fallen back into the sea if it weren’t for Joanna helping him regain his balance.</p>
<p>Eventually he made it to the deck. With a deep breath, he grabbed onto the wood and pulled himself over the railing, and looked out at the scene before him.</p>
<p>Suffice to say, it was complete chaos.</p>
<p>The entire deck was swarming with birds. The audience was full of screaming people, ducking or batting away the swarm of flying feathers and sharp beaks. Guests, servants, no one was safe.</p>
<p>May really wasn’t kidding when she said she could stall the wedding, huh?</p>
<p>Standing next to the podium at the front, the stranger from that morning seemed to be having trouble with the huge amount of birds around him. He slashed at them with a knife <em>(gods why did he have a knife??),</em> all the while keeping an eye on the horizon. Towards the setting sun. Clover’s gaze hardened as he finally realised who it was. </p>
<p>Through all his struggling, Tyrian constantly held a hand over his lapel. Clover stared at it until he noticed a flash of green underneath his fingers. </p>
<p>
  <em>The pin.</em>
</p>
<p>Clover scanned the crowd for a familiar face. Penny was nowhere to be seen, but he saw Weiss standing over to the side with her extremely confused friends. He waved his free arm around to catch her attention. She was a bit preoccupied, having to fight off a couple of seagulls with a bouquet, but she spotted him eventually.</p>
<p>“Clover?!” she cried, eyebrows raised.</p>
<p>He gestured towards Tyrian before pointing to himself, circling the place where the pin would be.  Weiss’ gaze flickered between Clover, still trying to get climb over the railing, and the badge on Tyrian’s lapel, before she realised what she had to do.</p>
<p>Without hesitation, she left her spot next to the podium and sprinted towards the groom. </p>
<p>Ruby yelped and tried to pull her back, fingers barely slipping in her grasp. Weiss ran up to the groom and clawed at him, trying to grab the pin, but he held her back with relative ease.</p>
<p>Then Zwei bit Tyrian’s leg. Hard. He screamed and tried to shake the corgi off, giving Weiss an opportunity to strike. Fingers curled into a fist, she ripped a page out of Qrow’s book and slugged the sorcerer in the nose, ripping the pin off of him as he staggered back.</p>
<p>“You <em>BITCH!!”</em> Tyrian shrieked, clutching his face. </p>
<p>He lunged a second too late. Weiss threw the pin to the ground and she brought her heel down, smashing it with brute force.</p>
<p>The spell’s hold shattered with the pin, the commotion stopping with it. Wisps of magic escaped the shards of metal before pooling together in the air. All the things Clover wanted to say in the three days they spent together; flirty remarks, screams of anguish, soft empathetic reassurances, all of it was concentrated into one swirling, sea green ball of light.</p>
<p>It circled him, seemingly glad it had found its true owner, before returning to his throat. He gasped, coughing as if his breath had been denied from him.</p>
<p>“...Clover?”</p>
<p>He looked up at the sound of his name. From across the deck, Qrow met his gaze in disbelief. The cold prince he had seen that morning was gone, replaced by the man he had seen the rest of the time he had known him. </p>
<p>The man he fell in love with. </p>
<p>
  <em>“Qrow.”</em>
</p>
<p>His voice was weak from lack of use, but the prince knew all too well where he had heard it before.</p>
<p>The two fell into each other's arms, a million words they wanted to say before spilling out of their mouths. Tyrian tried to call Qrow away, but his voice had returned to normal and held no more magical influence over anyone.</p>
<p>“It was you.” Qrow whispered, still trying to process what happened, “This whole time...it was always <em>you.” </em></p>
<p>He drew the other man closer to him. Nothing and everything made sense at the same time.</p>
<p>Clover grinned, “I wanted to tell you...<em>so much.”</em> </p>
<p>He could feel Qrow’s breath against his skin, he was so close. He tilted Qrow’s head up as they gazed into each other’s eyes, bringing each other even closer until…</p>
<p>The sun disappeared behind the horizon, filling the sky with a deep purple, and a gasp of pain escaped Clover’s throat.</p>
<p>‘You’re too <em>late!”</em> Varian cackled gleefully as Clover slid to the floor and out of Qrow’s embrace. </p>
<p>Where his legs used to be, a shimmering emerald tail took their place. He looked up at Qrow, and he could almost see his heart drop into the pit of his stomach.</p>
<p><strong><em>“YOU’RE TOO LATE!!”</em></strong> Tyrian screamed, lightning ripping his disguise away to reveal his true form. </p>
<p>The force of it tore a hole through the deck. Partygoers screamed in horror, scrambling for cover as the boat lurched violently. Tyrian crawled towards Clover at record speed. He was wrenched away from Qrow, his struggling completely immobilised by tentacles.</p>
<p>“Oh, it was LOVELY to meet you all, but it seems that our <em>little game</em> has come to an end!” Tyrian cackled to the terrified crowd. “Now if you excuse me, <em>I’ve got a goddess to resurrect.”</em></p>
<p>Qrow barely had time to move before the sorcerer dove into the ocean, dragging his captive down with him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Rules Are Rules</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Truths are revealed. Clover faces consequences. James picks the wrong time to start caring about other people.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>We’re hitting the home stretch, with a shorter transitional chapter this time! Who’s prepared for another cliffhanger? *gets hit by tomato*</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The bubbles cleared, and there was nothing left but the splash of the waves. </p>
<p>Qrow stood hunched over the railing, numbly staring at the rippling water. The events that had taken place hadn’t quite sunk in yet, and all he could feel was this eerie sense of calm as his memories returned to him.</p>
<p>At least the girls seemed just as confused as he was. For better or for worse.</p>
<p>“Weiss, <em>what is going on?”</em> he heard Ruby ask.</p>
<p>“I-I don’t know!” Weiss cried, “I have no idea who that guy was-”</p>
<p>“But you knew what to do to stop him,” Blake cut her off, “We didn’t even know he was <em>bad.”</em></p>
<p>“You’re hiding something from us,” Yang said, her voice surprisingly dark, “And whatever it is, you better spit it out.”</p>
<p>He finally tore his gaze away from the sea and towards the people onboard. Ruby, Blake and Yang were surrounding Weiss, giving her no place to run. The other guests were starting to grow restless, their hushed murmurs steadily growing in volume at the girls’ words.</p>
<p>Weiss started to back away, shooting him a desperate glance, “None of that matters right now. It’s not important-”</p>
<p>“I’d say Clover <em>growing a tail</em> and getting dragged off the ship by some <em>psycho</em> is pretty important,” Yang interrupted, crossing her arms. </p>
<p>Ruby gasped, turning to her sister, “I saw it too! I knew it wasn’t just me!!”</p>
<p>The image flashed in Qrow’s mind again. Clover, lying on the deck, looking up at him with despair and a bright green fishtail taking the place of his legs. </p>
<p>It couldn’t have been real.</p>
<p>“All of you, <em>calm down.”</em></p>
<p>Qrow was snapped out of his thoughts by Ozpin, cutting off the girls.</p>
<p>“This situation is stressful for all of us, but you need to give Miss Schnee some room to breathe.”</p>
<p>Looked like she needed it. The poor girl had turned paler than she already was.</p>
<p>At this point it was clear that she knew more than she was letting on. Qrow wasn’t angry at her, he understood why she kept it to herself. But continuing to keep it secret wasn’t going to help anyone anymore. </p>
<p>“Weiss, who was that guy, and why was he after Clover?” he asked.</p>
<p>Luckily, she only hesitated for a moment.</p>
<p>“His name is Tyrian,” she explained, “He’s a sorcerer who made a deal with Clover so he could have human legs in exchange for his voice, but then he had to win this <em>insane</em> bet to keep them and-” </p>
<p>Qrow interrupted, “Bet? What bet?”</p>
<p>“You had to kiss him before sunset today. I helped because I wanted to save his life, and he was never going to win against Tyrian on his own, but I couldn’t tell you straight up because you would have known I was a...” Weiss paused, eyes flickering to the dumbfounded looks on her friends’ faces, “...and I know that sounds <em>absolutely ridiculous,</em> but it’s the truth.”</p>
<p><em>Human legs?</em> Why on earth would he-</p>
<p>Everything clicked into place all over again. How Clover rescued him from the sea, that vision of him on the beach, how he found him on that same beach later…</p>
<p>Clover was a merman.</p>
<p>Which meant that merpeople were real. And Weiss probably used to be a mermaid. And he was in love with a merman. </p>
<p>...fuck, he was in love with Clover.</p>
<p>His head was still spinning from all this new information, but one sentence stuck in the prince’s mind.</p>
<p>“He lost. What happens to him if he loses?”</p>
<p>Weiss said nothing, avoiding his gaze.</p>
<p>
  <em>...fuck.</em>
</p>
<p>He already lost him once. He wasn’t going to lose him again.</p>
<p>Wasting no time, he called out to the frightened crowd, “All of you, get below deck. Oz will get you to land.” </p>
<p>The partygoers seemed to get the message, and they started heading towards the stairs.</p>
<p>“I’m assuming the wedding’s off, then?” Ozpin asked, coyly raising an eyebrow.</p>
<p>Qrow blinked. Exactly <em>how much</em> had he missed?</p>
<p>He shook the thought out of his head, “Tell the captain to steer the ship back, and take the girls. I’m saving Clover.”</p>
<p>Ozpin left with a nod, followed shortly by Blake and Yang. </p>
<p>Weiss stepped forward, <em>“I'm</em> coming with you.”</p>
<p><em>“No,”</em> Qrow said, turning to leave, “Get to the castle and stay there until I come back.” </p>
<p>She grabbed onto his cape, pulling him back “I can help you! You don’t know Tyrian, he’s more dangerous than you think.”</p>
<p>“Trust me, I got the message from the light show and tentacles.” he continued, trying to tug the fabric out of her hands.</p>
<p>“You don’t understand!” Weiss insisted, her grip growing tighter, “You’re going to get hurt if you-”</p>
<p>Qrow whipped around and gently grabbed Weiss by the shoulders. </p>
<p>“Listen to me. I know you want to help, but whoever this guy is, I don’t want him to hurt you or any of the others. The best thing you can do right now is get everyone onboard to land.”</p>
<p>To tell the truth, he could have used the backup. But if what Weiss was saying was true, she had already done more than enough. It was time to take matters into his own hands.</p>
<p>Weiss stopped for a second, stunned. She looked between Ruby, who had stayed behind for her, and Qrow before she finally gave in.</p>
<p>She huffed, “If you die, none of us are going to forgive you.”</p>
<p>He chuckled, patting her on the back before letting her go, “I know. Now get out of here, kid.”</p>
<p>With that, she and Ruby left with the others. Qrow shed his jacket and unclipped his cape, before looking back one more time.</p>
<p>“And Weiss?”</p>
<p>She stopped momentarily, glancing at him from over her shoulder.</p>
<p>“Thank you. For everything you did.”</p>
<p>Weiss gave him a confident smirk, before her eyes widened with a realisation.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Penny.”</em>
</p>
<p>She immediately bolted off, Ruby scrambling to catch up behind her.</p>
<p>“Kick his butt, Uncle Qrow!” she yelled, punching the air as she left.</p>
<p>He couldn’t imagine the type of questions Weiss would be asked on the way back. Heck, he had plenty of questions of his own. But she was stronger than she seemed. If she could keep a secret about a crazy tentacled sorcerer and the <em>literal existence of merpeople</em> without cracking, she could handle anything.</p>
<p>...speaking of which.</p>
<p>Taking a deep breath, he walked to the nearest lifeboats and picked up a large harpoon.</p>
<p>No turning back now.</p>
<p>----</p>
<p>Tyrian’s nails dug into his skin, holding Clover in an iron grip as he desperately tried to escape. But as much as he kicked and fought to get away, Tyrian remained unfazed. If anything, the actions seemed to fill him with an uncomfortable amount of pride.</p>
<p>He couldn’t die here. At least not without a fight.</p>
<p>A calling of his name made him whip around, and he spotted Robyn and Joanna barrelling towards them from behind. If it weren’t for the sorcerer’s sea scorpions, they might have almost reached them. It wasn’t long before they were far away, too caught up in fighting to keep up.</p>
<p>“I’ve got to hand it to you, this was a tough one,” Tyrian grunted, continuing to pull Clover along, “And it was so, SO entertaining. But to think you almost <em>won!</em> Ughh...it’s INFURIATING! But no matter. I’ve got a greater goal in mind now. One much bigger than a <em>pathetic Atlantis elite</em> with a crush.” </p>
<p>Clover growled, still trying to wrench himself away, “What is this about? Where are you taking me?!” </p>
<p>“Oh, my plans matter not to you anymore. Not that <em>snot nosed</em> Schnee or that <em>stuck up vigilante</em> either. No, little bird, I only matter to-”</p>
<p>A sharp glow filled the water around them. Ironwood held his staff to Tyrian’s neck, ready for blood. </p>
<p><em>“You,”</em> Tyrian giggled.</p>
<p>From behind, Winter locked eyes with Clover, puffing up her chest with her rapier in hand.</p>
<p><em>“Let him go, Callows,”</em> Ironwood commanded, tip of the staff digging into the sorcerer's throat.</p>
<p>“I’m afraid that’s not possible, James,” Tyrian sighed, casually batting it away, “You see, I’m not doing anything <em>wrong.</em> I’m simply claiming what’s MINE.”</p>
<p>Tyrian pulled a familiar contract out of thin air, holding it between himself and the king.</p>
<p>“We made a deal. We played a game, and he LOST.” </p>
<p>Clover met Ironwood’s gaze, his stomach twisted in knots. What was that look on his face? Disgust? Betrayal?</p>
<p>“Sir, I… <em>I'm so sorry,”</em> he whispered.</p>
<p>All Tyrian could do was laugh as Ironwood lit up his staff and blasted the contract with a beam of light. The bubbles cleared, but the contract remained pristine and undamaged.</p>
<p>“Nice try, but your little <em>staff</em> isn’t going to be much help,” Tyrian said, stroking the page, “My contracts are <em>legally binding,</em> and completely unbreakable.”</p>
<p>The contract disintegrated, sparkling yellow light that swirled around Tyrian and his captive. His tentacled glowed with rings of gold and purple, and he relished the power of the deal as it coursed through him. </p>
<p>He pulled Clover’s arm closer, flashing his teeth. </p>
<p>
  <em>“How unfortunate for you.”</em>
</p>
<p>Clover barely had time to react before sharp fangs sunk into his wrist.</p>
<p>Pain. Searing pain, spreading through his body. He screamed as something seeped into his bloodstream. Tyrian released his hold on him, but all he could do was sink to the ocean floor. </p>
<p>Giggling, Tyrian spat Clover’s blood out in front of the horrified king. Winter darted forward to attack only for Ironwood to stop her with an outstretched arm.</p>
<p>“What do you want?” Ironwood asked, his expression hardened.</p>
<p>Tyrian smiled, feigning nonchalance, “Oh, my queen’s garden has been quite barren lately, so I needed something to <em>spruce the place up.</em> A statue of one of the sea king’s Ace Operatives would make quite the addition, don’t you think?”</p>
<p>Golden light consumed Clover’s vision. He couldn’t move, only just managing to bring his wound in front of his face. His lungs tightened as a sickly purple hue rapidly climbed down his arm, turning the limb to...<em>stone.</em></p>
<p><em>“But,”</em> Tyrian raised a finger, “I could be persuaded otherwise if you offer me someone...<em>much more valuable in return.”</em></p>
<p>The curse stopped at Clover’s shoulder, just before it reached his torso, and the pain dulled to a manageable throb. A click of Tyrian’s fingers, and a second yellow contract hovered in the water in front of Ironwood.</p>
<p>“Just sign below and <em>you</em> can take his place,” Tyrian said, gesturing towards the king, “It’s quite simple, really. ”</p>
<p>Winter raised her rapier, scoffing, “And leave his kingdom in your hands? You truly are crazy.”</p>
<p>Tyrian waved her off with a huff, “All’s well then. I’m sure you don’t care about someone as insignificant as a soldier anyway.” </p>
<p>With that, the curse continued to spread across Clover’s body, now freezing his torso. He watched through lidded eyes as Winter swam to his rescue, only to cry out in pain as the magic around him singed her fingertips as she reached towards him. </p>
<p>Ironwood was equally paralysed as he watched the display. He must have looked pathetic, staring helplessly from the sidelines, unable to do anything. </p>
<p>And of course, Tyrian was all too eager to exploit his newly shown weakness.</p>
<p>He swam closer to the king, his tentacles fanning out behind him, “I <em>do</em> have to thank you, by the way. Clover here only came to me after you <em>destroyed</em> all that he held dear. He wanted freedom...<em>from you.</em> If that isn’t ironic.”</p>
<p><em>“Hold your tongue,”</em> Winter hissed, pointing her sword at him. </p>
<p>“I mean, you tried <em>so hard</em> to protect the people you care about, only to lead them to their doom. You did this to him, <em>your friend,</em> because you didn’t <em>trust</em> him. And look what you did.”</p>
<p>He leaned uncomfortably close, his words barely a murmur.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Some leader you’ve turned out to be.”</em>
</p>
<p>Through the haze, Clover met Ironwood’s eyes once more. That must have been what broke him.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Wait!” </em>
</p>
<p>Everything stopped, the curse put on pause once more. Tyrian leered at Ironwood, pulling out the scroll and waved it expectantly in front of his face.</p>
<p>“Sir, you <em>can’t!”</em> Winter insisted, gaze darting from him to Clover and back, “You’re too valuable to-”</p>
<p>With a wave of his staff, Ironwood signed the contract. Defeated, he extended his non-metal arm towards the sorcerer. </p>
<p>“Get it over with.”</p>
<p>Tyrian roared, eyes flashing purple again, <em>“It’s a DEAL!!”</em></p>
<p>He grabbed the limb, sinking his teeth into flesh for the second time. </p>
<p>Clover gasped as his transformation was quickly undone, the purple disappearing from his limbs. All he could catch was a regretful glance from the king before the gold light surrounded him. Winter shielded her eyes when the glow became too bright, and eventually Clover had to do the same.</p>
<p>Then there was a bright, burning flash of energy, and it was over. </p>
<p>Slowly, Clover looked up from his arms, and caught sight of the newly formed statue sitting where the king used to be.</p>
<p>“No…” Winter whispered.</p>
<p>
  <em>CRCK!</em>
</p>
<p>Ironwood’s stone hand, the one holding the staff, was broken off his wrist with a sickening crack. Clover and Winter watched in horror as Tyrian hastily ripped what was left of his fingers off the hilt.</p>
<p>The sorcerer let out a strangled, elated gasp as he held the staff to the light.</p>
<p>“It’s <em>mine.</em> It’s finally <em>MINE.”</em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>*gets hit by second tomato*</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Salem</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ah shit, climax time.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It’s here! It’s queer! It’s full of merman fear!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Clover was frozen with shock, staring at the statue in front of him. What remained of the king's hand lay crumbled on the floor in front of him, barely out of reach. There was a ringing in his ears, almost drowning out the sound of Tyrian's laughter.</p><p>Almost.</p><p>With a manic giggle, Tyrian slipped Ironwood’s crown off his head and onto his own.</p><p>“And now… her Grace will be reborn.”</p><p>With a roar, Winter drew her sword and charged. She was blown back with a quick wave of the staff, her back hitting some nearby rocks with a thud. Tyrian laughed even louder, and Clover finally saw red.</p><p>“You <em>MONSTER!!”</em> he yelled, darting forward and grabbing Tyrian before being thrown to the ground.</p><p>“Watch it, you <em>brat!”</em> Tyrian hissed, pointing the staff towards him, “Our goddess’ second coming is <em>not</em> going to be stopped by <em>some-”</em></p><p>He cut himself off with a sudden growl as a harpoon shot through the water, tearing a gash in his arm. Purple blood seeped into the water from his wound. </p><p>Clover looked up to the surface for the source. Qrow was floating in the water, poised to fight.</p><p>Tyrian's eyes darkened as he snarled. </p><p>
  <em>“You.”</em>
</p><p>The staff glowed red as Tyrian fired at the prince. Choking on water, Qrow barely dodged the first two beams before he started to retreat. He wasn't fast enough to dodge a third, and the next shot grazed his leg. He let out a muffled cry of pain, stopping for a split second. </p><p>Tyrian flashed his teeth, lining up his next shot. Without thinking, Clover shot forward, grabbed his braid and <em>pulled.</em> The sorcerer screamed as his blast went straight to the sky. He tugged harder, latching on to buy Qrow some time before he was shaken off yet again.</p><p>He growled, whipping back to Clover, “Why you little <em>shi-”</em></p><p>“Hey, <em>asshole!”</em></p><p>Tyrian turned, only to be socked in the face by Robyn.</p><p>Stunned, Clover watched as she wrestled with the sorcerer. His gaze darted between Qrow as he desperately tried to swim to the surface, and his friend as she tried to rip the staff from Tyrian’s grasp.</p><p><em>“Go!”</em> Robyn yelled over her shoulder.</p><p>She didn’t need to tell him twice. Clover swam past the two of them and towards Qrow, grabbing him and pulling him upwards. He glanced at the prince's injured leg, wincing at the gash leaking a red trail behind them.</p><p>There was a flash of red behind him, followed by a scream of pain. He looked over his shoulder, barely catching a glimpse of a familiar looking stone statue...in the spot where Robyn used to be.</p><p>He didn’t have the time to be horrified. Tyrian had spotted them again, and he looked <em>pissed.</em></p><p>A few seconds later, the duo broke through the surface of the sea. Clover held onto Qrow as he coughed and spluttered, clearing his lungs of any water. </p><p>“Get to the mainland,” he said, combing Qrow’s bangs back with his hand, “You’ll be safe once you’re out of the water. I’ll try to hold him off-”</p><p><em>“No.</em>” Qrow rasped, gripping him tighter, “I’m not leaving you again.”</p><p>He didn't know why, but the words broke his heart. Gods, Clover loved him so <em>much.</em></p><p>The sea started to rumble, the disturbance pushing his boat far from reach. Clover and Qrow clung to each other as a large silhouette rose from the water close to them, growing impossibly taller and taller. As their eyes adjusted, they saw the golden staff in his hands and the sharp gleam of his teeth.</p><p>Tyrian. He was <em>huge,</em> literally towering over the both of them with a predatory gaze. </p><p>So much for holding him off.</p><p>“Do you think running to <em>land</em> is going to save you?” he crowed, “Her Grace has plans for this world that are bigger than this kingdom, bigger than this <em>ocean.</em> No expanse of the world will be safe from her <em>REIGN!”</em></p><p><em>Salem.</em> Clover's eyes widened as the name flashed through his thoughts. He already know how powerful she was, and if what Tyrian was saying was true then-

</p><p>"LOOK OUT!!” Qrow yelled.</p><p>A ringed tentacle came down on them, sending a huge wave their way. Both men ducked away before it could hit. </p><p>“We mustn’t keep her waiting,” Tyrian cried, lifting the staff to the sky, “Our Queen has <em>rotted</em> away below the surface of the earth for <em>too long!”</em></p><p>Overhead, dark clouds started to swarm the skies as Tyrian conjured them with waves of the staff. A storm started to brew, agitating the water around them. Qrow’s hand slipped in Clover’s grasp as they were torn apart by the force of the water. </p><p>Helplessly, Clover watched as Qrow was thrown by a massive wave. Letting out a scream, the prince free-fell through the air for a split second before crashing into the churning water below.</p><p>
  <em>“Qrow!”</em>
</p><p>...</p><p>Shit, shit, <em>shit.</em></p><p>Qrow tumbled through the water, arms flailing for purchase. His eyes and wounded leg stung from the seawater. All he could see was grey, turning darker and darker as he descended. Blindly, he grasped at the open water for something, <em>anything</em> that would keep him steady. </p><p>He wasn’t expecting something to grab <em>him.</em></p><p>A hand clamped around his wrist, and he almost choked in surprise as he was quickly dragged upwards. Air filled his lungs as he surfaced, and panting he glanced towards the person who’d rescued him. </p><p>A very tired looking mermaid with snow white hair. </p><p>“Are you alright?” she asked.</p><p>He blinked, “Uh….”</p><p>They were interrupted by Tyrian, cackling above the roar of the storm, “Now all the world, <em>land and sea,</em> will bend to <em>her</em> power!”</p><p>Tyrian dipped the staff into the sea, stirring the water with a bright green glow.  </p><p>“Hold on!” she yelled.</p><p>The light touch gradually grew deeper and deeper until a whirlpool began to form, dragging debris from the ocean bed. Large shipwrecks began to rise from the water, looming closer and closer as they followed the swirl of the whirlpool. Qrow looked around, trying to find Clover somewhere amongst the chaos. A silhouette with chestnut hair, or flash of a green tail-</p><p>He barely caught sight of a huge ship heading his way before he was dragged back under by another wave.</p><p>As he was swept under the hull, he spotted a rope dangling from the side. Luckily the mermaid seemed to spot it too, and she grabbed him again to drag him forward. They kept swimming against the current until Qrow’s fingers were wrapped tight around the rope. With what strength he had left he climbed it, until his torso left the water and he could finally breathe.</p><p>Dazed, he turned back to the mermaid as he gripped his lifeline with both hands.</p><p>“Thank you.”</p><p>She gave him a grim look and a nod, before her fingers slipped and she was swept away with the current.</p><p>Who <em>was</em> that mermaid? Was she a friend of Clover’s? Maybe if they made it out of this alive, he could ask her himself. </p><p>Grunting, Qrow clambered onboard the shipwreck and caught his breath. At least now he was out of the water, but neither he nor Clover were going to survive much longer if Tyrian got his way. Hell, apparently the whole <em>world</em> was going to go to shit if Tyrian got his way. He had to do something. </p><p>He had to take that bastard down.</p><p>Then he spotted the helm of the ship. Rain hammered down on him as he quickly made his way towards it, minding the rotting floorboards. Along the way a particularly brutal wave made its way on deck, knocking him off balance and soaking him through for what felt like the tenth time that day. Gods, he swore after this he was never going anywhere near the ocean again.</p><p>Scrambling back to his feet, he scaling the steps and stumbled over to the wheel. Taking a deep breath in, he grabbed onto the helm and started to steer the ship towards the source of the chaos.</p><p>He looked to the sky and hoped, just this once, fortune would be on his side.</p><p>...</p><p>Clover clung to a rock jutting out of the surface as the water roared around him. Last he has seen of Qrow, he had disappeared underneath a recently surfaced ship with what looked like Winter. Hit stomach sank as he though about it, though he didn't want to assume the worst. He couldn't have been alone. He needed a sign, a familiar face, <em>anyone.</em></p><p>Spotting Clover out the corner of his eye, Tyrian blasted him on sight. His rock crumbled under him and he fell down, deep into the depths of the whirlpool, until he hit solid ground with a thud. </p><p>Groaning, he looked towards the behemoth that was the sea sorcerer. Clover was miles away, sitting on a dry spot in the centre of the chaos. No way to escape, nowhere to hide and no way to run. Not while he still had his tail.</p><p>“You just don’t <em>give up,</em> do you?” Tyrian sneered, “How <em>annoying.”</em></p><p>Tyrian fired at him again, the staff glowing bright in his hands. Clover didn’t know if it was luck or bad aim, but the blasts just barely missed him every time. Eventually the sorcerer giggled, and Clover realised he was <em>toying with him,</em> making his squirm like a worm on a hook.</p><p>Everywhere the light hit broke the sea bed like stone, almost like the blows were somehow creating fractures in ground under the sand. Something <em>sinister</em> was lurking under the surface of the sea bed, seeping through the cracks Tyrian’s attacks had created. </p><p>He could feel its presence, he was so close to it. It glowed a hot red beneath his fingertips, threatening to escape.</p><p>Clover balked as the realisation struck him. </p><p>He was sitting on top of Salem's <em>resurrection site.</em></p><p>Tyrian raised the staff, preparing to thrust it into the surface of the sea bed and shatter the ground beyond repair. </p><p>
  <em>“For the will...of our GODDESS!!”</em>
</p><p>Clover braced himself.</p><p>With a heavy heave of the wheel, Qrow veered the shipwreck against the whirlpool and straight into Tyrian’s gut.</p><p>The scream he let out didn’t sound <em>real.</em> It was grotesque and crazed, echoing above the crash of the waves. The sorcerer was skewered by the ship's mast, and his tentacles grasped wildly at anything in reach, pulling the shipwreck down as he sank. Thunder boomed overhead as hysterical cackles left him, mingling with his sobs of anguish. The sound was as pathetic as it was terrifying.</p><p>A final flash of lightning and Ironwood’s staff slipping from Tyrian’s hands was the last things Clover saw before the whirlpool collapsed. He braced himself again as the water came crashing down on him and his vision was consumed by inky blackness.</p><p>The madness died down. The shipwrecks settled back to their places on the bottom of the sea. The clouds faded into the night sky.</p><p>And as quickly as it had begun, the sea went quiet.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Sunrise</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Things turn out okay.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Mental health took a bit of a dive AND I got an idea for another fic I ended up fixating on, so this one ended up taking way longer. Whoops. Hope this was worth the wait!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was finally over.</p><p>The sun steadily rose over the horizon. From a distance, Clover watched from behind a rock as Qrow shifted in his sleep, sand clinging to his face as it touched the beach. The human had somehow made it to shore without drowning, which was a miracle on its own. It meant he was safe.</p><p>It also meant there was no reason for Clover to stay.</p><p>Sliding below the surface of the sea, he let bubbles traverse his body as he slowly sank to the floor. He sighed quietly. This was for the best. Now that he was a merman again, there was no way for him to be with a human anymore. Saying goodbye before he left would only bring more pain, which was the last thing he wanted. </p><p>His back hit the sand, and he laid there for a second longer before he got up and started swimming. He traced his path, passing back through bleached-white coral and kelp hordes until the lights of the underwater city shone in front of him. Perfectly pristine, exactly like it was before.</p><p>Just like everything else.</p><p>Clover stopped in his tracks, suddenly feeling sick, before taking a deep breath. This was a good thing. It would be nice for things to go back to the way things used to be. Before the surface world, before the deal, before...Qrow. </p><p>He let a pained smile cross his face.</p><p>Three days. He would cherish the three days he spent, warm on the surface world with the man he loved.</p><p>“Good to see you’re not dead, Shrimp.”</p><p>He whipped around at the sound of the familiar nickname, and felt a sudden rush of relief.</p><p>“Robyn!”</p><p>Miraculously, the mermaid was alive, her petrification undone. </p><p>“Are you alright?!” he asked, swimming up to her and grabbing her by the shoulders, “After Tyrian attacked you I didn’t think you’d make it. I thought you were dead.”</p><p>“I didn’t think I would miss hearing your voice so much,” she laughed, flexing her arms, “And I’m fine. I mean, my joints are still a bit <em>stiff.”</em></p><p>Okay, that was cruel. Clover kicked her with his tail, much to her amusement.</p><p>“Alright, alright, you can beat me up later,” Robyn said, taking him by the hand and pulling him forward, “You’ve got to see something.”</p><p>Clover was led across the border, and his eyes grew wide as the city grew clearer in his vision.</p><p>A whole crowd of bustling, loud merpeople had filled the streets of Atlantis. Some were crying, others were hugging their loved ones tight, but they all had looks of pure joy on their faces. The kingdom was lively in a way it hadn’t been in millenia. Clover couldn’t help but stare.</p><p>“What happened?”</p><p>“Tyrian’s death undid all his magic, meaning everyone who’s ever made a deal with him has had their contracts undone,” Robyn smirked, elbowing him, “You set them free.”</p><p>“Frankly, <em>Qrow</em> set them free,” a familiar voice chimed in, “He’s the one who killed him, after all.”</p><p>Clover turned and locked eyes with Winter. He felt another rush of relief at seeing that she was okay, if not a bit bruised. She was wearing a few braces for her arms and tail, keeping her intact while she continued to swim closer.</p><p>“Winter,” Clover exhaled, “It’s good to see you well.”</p><p>“Barely,” she griped, “My attacks were sloppy and emotional. I could have done more if I had waited for the right moment to strike. Foolish mistake on my part.” </p><p>Oh, Winter. Leave it to her to focus on critiquing her fighting tactics after the near end of the world.</p><p>She sighed, “Even so...I’m glad to see you’re okay. Both of you.”</p><p>“Likewise, Ice Queen,” Robyn smirked, “So, what did you need? Unless you’re just here to catch up.”</p><p>“Right,” Winter turned to Clover, “King Ironwood was searching for you. He wants to have a word.”</p><p>Clover winced, memories of the previous night resurfacing, “Is... he okay?”</p><p>“Almost as okay as the rest of the merpeople freed from Callows’ grasp. After his prosthetic is repaired he should be good as new. He’s currently in the main hall.”</p><p>Robyn patted Clover on the back with a sly grin, “Better get going before Fiona finds you. She’s not happy about the whole ‘helping you getting me turned into stone’ thing.”</p><p>He gulped, nodding. He knew the power of an angry Fiona, and it almost scared him more than anything that had happened yesterday.</p><p>Clover ducked through the crowd, passing hundreds of overjoyed merpeople on his way to the palace. It was kind of crazy to think that all of them got to reunite with their loved ones because of a reckless deal he had made. Everyone before him hadn’t been so lucky.</p><p>Come to think of it, he had gotten <em>extremely</em> lucky at every turn. If it weren’t for Weiss, or Penny, or everyone else who had helped him, he wouldn’t have survived nearly as long. If anything, he would have just drowned in Tyrian’s lair <em>minutes</em> after making the deal. He owed them more than he could ever offer.</p><p>Inside the palace, the other Ace Ops were talking amongst themselves a few metres away from the main hall’s entrance. While the others didn’t seem to notice him, Marrow’s eyes immediately lit up as he noticed Clover over Elm’s shoulder. He waved, at least somewhat happy to see him again, and Clover waved back before he entered the hall, the doors closing behind him.</p><p>Sure enough, Ironwood was back on his throne where he belonged. He clutched the staff with his flesh hand, flinching slightly as his prosthetic was finally activated. </p><p>Looking up, he spotted Clover as the merman slowly inched towards him.</p><p>“Could you give us the room, please?” Ironwood asked, turning to the mechanic touching up his arm. She left with a nod, leaving the two alone.</p><p>“Sir,” Clover said, giving him a tense salute, “I’m glad to see you’re alright.”</p><p>“Likewise,” he replied, equally as withdrawn, “How are the citizens?”</p><p>“Just fine. Looks like the news of Callows’ demise has brought some much-needed cheer back into the kingdom.”</p><p>“That’s good,” Ironwood glanced at Clover nervously, “And...how are you?”</p><p>“Also fine, thank you,” he responded curtly.</p><p>There was an awkward few seconds where neither of them said anything. Despite everything, it seemed that uncomfortable conversations would always be a staple of their relationship. Still, Clover wasn’t in the mood to wait any longer before pointing out the elephant seal in the room.</p><p>It was time to face the music. </p><p>“I’m sorry,” Clover apologised, bowing his head, “For Tyrian, and keeping the cavern from you, and <em>Robyn,</em> and...everything that occurred last night. You won’t have to worry about me stepping out of line anymore. As captain of your Ace Operatives, I assure you I’ll do my best to set a good example from here on out.”</p><p>It was as honest of an apology as he could muster. He just hoped it would be good enough. </p><p>Ironwood’s expression hardened, and it took him a second to respond.</p><p>“It’s true that it was incredibly careless of you to strike that deal. Your actions nearly doomed the kingdom.”</p><p>Clover’s fingernails dug into his palm, his gaze fixated on the floor.</p><p>With that said, Ironwood’s eyes darted to the side, “But, I realise that, as manipulative as it was for him to bring it up at the time, Callows <em>was</em> right about one thing. It was my actions that drove you to that decision in the first place. If anything, <em>I</em> should be the one apologising to <em>you.”</em></p><p>...oh. Stunned, Clover looked up at the king, still not fully processing his words.</p><p>He slowly got up from his chair, moving towards the other merman, “And, indirectly thanks to your deal, both Tyrian and Salem will no longer be a problem. For the first time in ages, the kingdom is well and truly safe, and for that we all owe you a great deal of gratitude.”</p><p>He placed a hand on Clover’s shoulder, “You are more than worthy to hold the position I’ve given you.”</p><p>As hollow as the praise felt, Clover did his best to appear grateful. Honestly, he didn’t know what to think. He was once again relieved, both to hear that his people would be safe for a good while and that Ironwood was proud, but the pride was overshadowed by...everything else.</p><p>Eventually he settled on something to say.</p><p>“Thank you, sir, but I can’t take all the credit.”</p><p>Ironwood raised an eyebrow, letting go of his shoulder. </p><p>“I suppose you’re right,” he continued, slightly amused, “If what Winter told me is true, we’d all be dead if it weren’t for your human. His name was Qrow, correct?”</p><p>Clover blinked, before quickly nodding. He didn’t think Ironwood would care to remember his name.</p><p>The king laughed, “It seems I’ll have to reconsider my stance on humans. After all, if you sacrificed so much just to be with one, then they can’t all be as bad as I believed.”</p><p>He knew the comment wasn’t supposed to hurt him as much as it did, and he did his best to laugh along. But after the memories of blinding pain and exhausting misunderstandings returned, topped off with the knowledge that he would never see Qrow again, he just felt unbelievably <em>tired.</em></p><p>Ironwood seemed to pick up on this, if just a little bit, because his expression slowly changed to something unreadable as he stared at Clover. There were a few more uncomfortable seconds of silence before he spoke.</p><p>“You really do love him, don’t you?”</p><p>It took him a second to process the question, mostly because it seemed to come out of nowhere. But he thought about it. </p><p>About crimson eyes and husky laughter. </p><p>About bright blue skies and solid ground beneath his feet. </p><p>About dancing until his legs grew sore and holding onto him without ever letting go.</p><p>The answer was obvious.</p><p>“More than anything.”</p><p>His words seemed to make Ironwood tense up all over again. Clearly he wasn’t expecting an answer like that. Clover fidgeted in place, his cheeks quickly turning pink from embarrassment.</p><p>A second passed, and he finally exhaled. His gaze momentarily flickered to the staff in his hands before returning to Clover.</p><p>“Then I guess there’s only one thing left to do.”</p><p>Before he could respond, Ironwood lowered the staff and touched his tail with the tip. Calm, glittering blue magic pushed through the water, and his bottom half sparkled with enchanted light. </p><p>Clover looked up in disbelief, before his face finally split into a grin. James gave him a weary but genuine smile back.</p><p>“Go to him.”</p><p>---</p><p>The sun was already high in the sky when Qrow distantly realised he was awake.</p><p>He jerkily sat up from the sand, coughing. The sun was beaming down on his face, salt clinging to his cheeks as seawater dried. He scrubbed at his face, trying to remember how he had gotten there in the first place.</p><p>Slowly, the events of the previous night came back to him. Waking up on the ship with no recollection of what was going on, jumping into the sea, and ramming into a crazy sea sorcerer with the bow of the ship. Everything else was a blur.</p><p>It was over. At least he hoped it was. The fact that they were still alive was a good sign.</p><p>
  <em>“Uncle QROOWW!!”</em>
</p><p>The remaining air in his lungs was knocked out of him as someone tackled him from behind. He looked over his shoulder to see Ruby clinging to his back like a koala. Qrow chuckled, turning around to properly hug his niece back as the other kids ran towards them. It was good to see them all again.</p><p>“You have to stop doing this to us,” Ruby cried, letting go of Qrow, “You had us worried <em>sick!”</em></p><p><em>Now, <strong>this</strong> felt awfully familiar,</em> he thought as he was brought to his feet. It felt like it was yesterday. A pounding headache and an ache in his lungs, followed by a gentle hand caressing his cheek and serene teal eyes as his vision finally focused on-</p><p>…</p><p>“Where’s Clover?” he asked, turning to the girls.</p><p>All four of their faces dropped, and they shared uneasy glances amongst themselves.</p><p>“We don’t know,” Weiss eventually answered, her voice barely a murmur, “Last time we saw him was on the ship.”</p><p>His stomach dropped. Shaking slightly, he combed his bangs back with his hand as his thoughts raced.</p><p>No. No, no, <em>no.</em> He couldn’t lose him again-</p><p>Ruby let out a loud gasp, gaze fixated on the ocean, “What is <em>that?!”</em></p><p>Slowly, Qrow looked up, and locked eyes with Clover as he rose from the sea. </p><p>Piece by piece, outstretched arms to pacing legs, all was uncovered by the water until his feet met the sand. He wore the light that reflected off the ocean’s surface, weaved into fabric and adorning his limbs, matching his brilliant smile that only grew wider as he ran towards him.</p><p>The two met in the middle, like the waves met the shore.</p><p>“You came back,” Qrow breathed, clinging to the other man like he would disappear again if he let go.</p><p>“I didn’t think I would,” Clover grinned, winking, “Guess I got lucky.”</p><p><em>Lucky.</em> Qrow snorted before bursting into laughter, the sound mingling with Clover’s and travelling across the beach. Now that he could appreciate it, he realised how perfect Clover’s voice actually was. Smooth, and calming like a clear sky. He could listen to it forever.</p><p>Distantly, he realised that the girls were cheering as they watched from the sidelines. He couldn’t give a damn. Let them see. He wanted the whole world to see.</p><p>“Now, I do believe you have a certain promise to keep about a certain hand in marriage you were offering, <em>your highness.”</em> Clover teased, cocking an eyebrow.</p><p>Qrow blinked, face flushing at the reminder.</p><p>“Right, uh... I know marriage is kind of a big deal, so we can wait as long as you need to get comfortable. There’s still so much about you I want to know before we make it official. If you want to. And only if you want to,” he insisted.</p><p>“I do,” Clover beamed, “I absolutely do.”</p><p>Qrow smirked, the last remaining tension dissipating, “You should save that for the wedding, Shamrock.”</p><p>Clover chuckled, bringing their lips together. He tasted like the sea.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Final chapter coming soonish :D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Sea and Sky</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Six months pass, and everything comes to a close.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After their inevitable honeymoon phase of their relationship passed, Qrow and Clover sat down and talked for the first time since they met each other. There was a lot to go through, with the literal existence of merpeople and the near end of the world obviously being at the top of the list.</p><p>They decided to give themselves a few months, and they spent every day getting to know each other more until Qrow made his proposal official. The rest of their time was spent painstakingly planning the wedding (a duty that mostly went to Weiss, who almost immediately took over when the grooms couldn’t distinguish between two shades of white for the tablecloths).</p><p>In the end, it had all culminated into one elaborate wedding cruise, two rings and the words both of them had been waiting for since that reunion on the beach.</p><p>Ozpin smiled, looking between the two men, “I now pronounce you married. You may kiss each other.” </p><p>Cheers erupted from the audience as Clover grabbed Qrow by the front of his suit, and swooped him into a dip kiss. Bells chimed, the cake was cut and the bouquet was hurled into the crowd (and caught by a very flustered Blake).</p><p>Clover exhaled, looking out at the bustling crowd. They were well into the reception now, the party still going strong. He had never experienced anything like this back when he was a merman. Actually, there was still so much more for him to experience now that he was human.  Luckily for him, he’d be able to experience it all with his new husband.</p><p>His <em>husband.</em> Just thinking about the word made him giddy.</p><p>“No magic shenanigans, no crazy sea sorcerer trying to kill us, and the cake tasted great,” Qrow said, leaning back on the deck’s railing, “I think this was a rousing success.”</p><p>“Couldn’t agree more,” Clover said, smirking, “Though I’d say your wedding with Tyrian was a lot more entertaining.”</p><p>Qrow groaned, burying his face in his hands, “Don’t remind me.” </p><p>“What, there’s no harm in remembering!” Clover added, his face splitting into a shit-eating grin, “Though I guess I should count myself lucky we ruled out <em>exes</em> being invited to the ceremony.”</p><p>Groaning louder, Qrow lightly shoved him aside as he laughed.</p><p>“You’re a brat, you know that?” he grumbled, shooting him an incredulous look.</p><p>“You love me,” Clover teased, wagging his eyebrows.</p><p>Fondly rolling his eyes, Qrow reached out and tangled their fingers together.</p><p>“...yeah, I do.”</p><p>Fingers still entwined, their laughter died down as they stared into each other’s eyes, before slowly leaning closer-</p><p>“Uncle Qrow, come on!!” Ruby yelled, grabbing her uncle by the arm, “Yang and Nora are having another arm-wrestling match, you have to come watch. Sorry, Uncle Clover!”</p><p>Before he could protest, Qrow was quickly dragged away by his niece. Clover laughed, waving at the pair as they headed towards a ruckus on the other side of the party.</p><p>...<em>Uncle</em> Clover. That was going to take some getting used to.</p><p>In the meantime, there were still a few people he hadn’t gotten around to talking to yet.</p><p>“Clover!” Penny yelled, waving as he approached her and Weiss, “It’s a pleasure to see you again! I hope you’ve been enjoying the party.”</p><p>Despite the beating she had taken on the day of Tyrian’s attack, Penny had recovered at an almost scary rate, and had gotten back on her feet within the week. When she told Clover about it, he had half a mind to resurrect that tentacled bastard and kill him again himself.</p><p>“Likewise,” he said, “I’m just glad nothing went wrong.”</p><p>“You’re right, everything <em>did</em> go perfectly,” Weiss said, casually glancing at him as she adjusted some nearby floral arrangements, “If only the person who planned all of this was right here so you could properly thank them.”</p><p>“Alright, alright,” Clover laughed, holding his hands up, “You did a great job, Weiss. You should be proud.”</p><p>She visibly preened at the praise, “All in a day’s work. I’ll be expecting my pay sometime in the next week.”</p><p>“Right, remind me why we have to pay you when we didn’t technically hire you in the first place?”</p><p>“I’ve had to sit through <em>six months</em> of Ruby interrogating me about merpeople because of you. You owe me.”</p><p>Ahh, that was a whole other story. After Weiss’ identity as a former mermaid was revealed, she had to sit her friends down and explain <em>everything</em> to them in full detail. It had worked, and the group was now closer than ever, but as ‘punishment’ Ruby had from then on asked Weiss literally every question that came to mind about merpeople every time she’d seen her, much to her annoyance.</p><p>“Other than...<em>that,</em> how’s the reception been for you?”</p><p>“Good,” Weiss casually said, “Mostly uneventful.” </p><p>“Uneventful?” Penny asked, tilting her head slightly, “But you finally got to talk to Winter!”</p><p>Clover blinked. That would be the first time the two sisters had talked in...who knows how long.</p><p>“Huh. How did it go?” he asked.</p><p>“...We cleared the air,” Weiss said, “I finally got to say some things I should have a long time ago. She didn’t try to drag me back underwater, so overall I think it went pretty well."</p><p>She huffed, discreetly wiping her eyes, “Still...it was nice to see her again.”</p><p>Clover let out a small sigh of relief. Honestly, he was glad the Schnees were still on good terms. It looked like both sisters were going to have to carve their own paths, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be there for each other as they did.</p><p>“She’s over there if you want to see her,” Weiss said, gesturing towards a spot over the railing a few feet away, “I’m pretty sure Robyn was with her too.”</p><p>“And they definitely <em>don’t</em> have a surprise for you,” Penny added, bouncing on her toes.</p><p>“...subtle, Penny. Very subtle.”</p><p>Clover smiled, “Thanks, you two. You should head back to the others before Yang breaks her arm.”</p><p>“What?” Weiss scanned the other partygoers and spotted the arm-wrestling match, which by now was well underway. </p><p>She rolled her eyes, “Yang, Nora, <em>now’s not the time!”</em></p><p>Weiss stormed towards her friends, ranting about the proper etiquette that should have been employed during a royal wedding reception (not that any of them would listen). Penny trailed behind her friend, sparing Clover one last wave that he gladly returned.</p><p>Following Weiss’ gesture, Clover walked over to the side of the deck and leaned over the railing, two familiar faces immediately coming into view as he did.</p><p>Robyn immediately grinned at the sight of him, “About time, your highness! I was starting to think you wouldn’t show up.” </p><p>“You started to think he wouldn’t come to his own wedding?” Winter asked, giving Robyn a deadpan stare. The mermaid blankly returned the look. It was nice to see those two were getting along.</p><p>Opening her satchel, Robyn rummaged through a few pieces of assorted junk before pulling out a fabric pouch and chucking it towards Clover. </p><p>“It’s a wedding gift. Congrats on tying the knot.” she said.</p><p>“Umm...thank you,” Clover said, staring at the pouch in his hands, “It’s a nice bag.”</p><p>“The surprise is inside the bag,” Winter responded.</p><p>Ah. That made a lot more sense. </p><p>Slowly, Clover unbuttoned the pouch and pulled out its contents. His eyes widened with shock.</p><p>It was the pin. Last he had seen of it, it had been shattered on the deck of the ship on the day of that wedding gone wrong. Somehow the trinket had been restored to its original form.</p><p>“The kids found the pieces onboard the ship,” Robyn explained, proudly crossing her arms, “It took a lot of planning and our group efforts-”</p><p>“Penny took it to a jeweller behind your back.”</p><p>“-but we managed to get it back into one piece! What do you think?”</p><p>It was just as beautiful as he remembered it being. Silver leaves perfectly set in place, catching the sunlight as Clover traced them with his fingertips.</p><p>He looked up, clutching it tight with tears in his eyes, “Thank you so much. Both of you.”</p><p>Winter scoffed, looking away, “It was nothing. There’s no need to get emotional.”</p><p>She was right, the three of them didn’t need to get all sad <em>again.</em> They had already said their goodbyes the day he left for the surface, and they were sappier than any of them would like to admit.</p><p>Besides, despite the cold words, Winter’s eyes were suspiciously red. For her dignity, Clover decided not to point it out. Robyn on the other hand...</p><p>“Awww, Ice Queen!” she cried, “You really <em>are</em> just a big softie!”</p><p>“Say one more word and I’ll cut out your tongue.”</p><p>Clover chuckled. He was really going to miss those two. Leaving them behind might have been his only regret.</p><p>Save for… </p><p>Gently the water nearby started to rumble and glow with a bright teal light, and Clover watched, dumbstruck, as King Ironwood slowly surfaced from the sea. </p><p>Ironwood glanced to his left, directly at Robyn. It was only then that Clover realised he had invited both the king and the fugitive he was supposed to be hunting to the same event.</p><p>“Ms Hill,” Ironwood murmured, barely trying to hide his contempt.</p><p>“Ironbitch,” Robyn saluted, quickly dipping under the waves before he could react.</p><p>He let out a heavy sigh, turning to Winter, “May I speak to Clover alone?”</p><p>“Of course, your majesty,” she immediately nodded, bowing before ducking back underwater. </p><p>With a wave of his staff, the water raised the king above the waves until they were at eye level with each other. A few merpeople around them stared in awe, whispering amongst themselves, and even some guests on the ship gasped at the sight.</p><p>“Congratulations on your union, Prince Branwen-Ebi,” Ironwood greeted.</p><p>Husband. Uncle. <em>Prince.</em> Suddenly Clover had all these new titles, and yet he felt he hadn’t changed at all (though he supposed that wasn’t exactly true either).</p><p>“It’s still Clover to you, sir. Nothing will change that,” he replied.</p><p>There were a few awkward seconds of silence before Ironwood broke the tension. </p><p>“I won’t be here for long, I just wanted to..um...well,” he let out a nervous cough, looking away, “I’ve never been one for earnest expressions of feelings, but...”</p><p>Hesitantly, the king held out his hand for a shake. </p><p>“Clover, I’m glad you’ve finally found your happiness,” he said, “I wish you all the best.”</p><p>Clover looked at Ironwood’s outstretched hand, before he took it and pulled the merman into a hug.</p><p>“Thank you, James.”</p><p>Ironwood tensed in Clover’s arms, before melting into the embrace with a relieved exhale.</p><p>“So, <em>you</em> must be King Ironwood,” Qrow’s voice drawled from behind him, “It’s nice to finally put a face to the name.”</p><p>Talk about timing. Clover turned to his husband. Apparently he had been watching the whole exchange with an amused look on his face. </p><p>Looking at Qrow over Clover's shoulder, Ironwood gave the two men a respectful bow before lowering himself back into the water with another wave of his staff.</p><p>Qrow’s eyes narrowed, “Didn’t he destroy all your human belongings?”</p><p>“...maybe,” Clover said, wrapping his arms around the other man, “But if it weren’t for him, I might have never found you again.”</p><p>He lightly chuckled, returning the embrace and leaning forward until their foreheads touched, “I guess I owe him a thank you, then.”</p><p>It was true. Without James, and the cavern, and Tyrian, they wouldn’t be where they were now. It had been a long battle, but whatever pain they had felt at the time was long behind them. They were finally together, and everything was perfect.</p><p>“I love you, Cloves,” Qrow murmured, cupping his husband’s cheek with his hand.</p><p>Clover smiled until his cheeks ached, leaning into the touch. </p><p>“I love you too,” he whispered, pressing their lips together for the nth time.</p><p>He was right where he belonged. On solid ground, with the man he loved, underneath the bright blue sky.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And that’s the end of The Lucky Merman! Thank you so much to everyone who’s stuck with me for this long, I didn’t expect this to get as big of a following as it did. There were also a few little details I didn’t get to add, like everyone from RWBYJNPR being at the wedding and Winter being the new leader of the Ace-Ops, but we can’t have everything :,D Anyways, I’ve still got a lot more ideas for future fics, so I hope to see you folks in the future!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>First chapter is just the prologue, so it's a lot shorter than the other chapters will be. Comments are appreciated!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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